


Accidental, sort of on purpose, ritual turns out better than expected

by Demi_caffeinated



Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Succubi & Incubi, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Consensual Sex, Domestic Fluff, Eddie's a student, Family Drama, Fluff, I'm sorry for that, Just a ton of fluff, M/M, Richie's an incubus, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, Sonia Kaspbrak's A+ Parenting, blowjob, eddie's relationship with myra has a pretty big role, handjob, like the slowest slow burn I can manage, more tags to come, pinning, rating change for chapter 34
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-08 10:11:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 39
Words: 69,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21474295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demi_caffeinated/pseuds/Demi_caffeinated
Summary: Eddie's dealing with souring relationship with Myra in all the wrong ways but he's willing to try anything to fix it- including summoning a succubus to teach him about seduction, only things don't go quite as planned.Eyes are opened and connections made, it just takes some time and the right people to fix things.(NSFW chapters are marked in chapter titles)
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 73
Kudos: 258





	1. Pumpkin spice and smoke plumes

Eddie thumbed through the yellowed pages carefully. It was a library book of questionable age given the thin brittle quality of the paper and he really couldn’t afford the costs to replace it alongside his current rent and tuition. He was still pretty skeptical of this whole thing but really what did he have to lose; besides Bill seemed quite sure of this working. 

Eddie was mostly convinced this would just be a big waste of time; not to mention a fire hazard. He’d already drawn out the chalk circle and symbols though and he didn’t want that to go to waste, since it would definitely be a pain to clean up after the fact. The mixed smells from the strong incense given to him from Bill only added to the ridiculousness. Mostly the smoke just irritated his nose and had him feeling like he should be reaching for his inhaler. He known the inhaler was fake for years now and still had to work to shake some of the old urges to use it, even if he'd thrown his last one away ages ago.

Eddie got to work writing a few nonsensical symbols onto a crisp sheet of paper. The book also called for blood to be used but that was too unsanitary for his tastes. 

Red pen would just have do. 

He was already going against the black candle recommendations anyways, so why quit there. Myra would probably be pleased to see that he lit the damned pumpkin spiced things and she really didn’t need to know the context for it. 

Eddie felt incredibly silly sitting inside the chalk circle, but he at least had the comfort that the librarian hadn’t thought too hard about him asking after this stupid succubus spell. 

Bill had been right about Mike being a solid library aid who was quite knowledgeable in the occult section, not that he was about to doubt his childhood friend on things like that. Mike seemed intrigued with Eddie’s weak excuse of it being for a creative writing project asking more questions than he would have liked given it was an on the cuff lie. Still he seemed nice enough and had Bill’s approval so that was enough for Eddie to trust him on the book choice, well that and he also didn’t want to spend his whole day flipping through the books himself. 

He read over the passage one last time before closing the book, hoping his symbols were close enough to count as properly legible. Eddie was desperate to fix his relationship with Myra- not enough passion she complained often. He really didn’t want this to fall through, mostly because he would never hear the end of it from his mother, not that he would ever admit that last part to anyone else. So, he’d gone to his closest friends, Bill and Stan (who were conveniently roommates), who after laughing had offered some rather poor advice. Bill jokingly told him to summon a demon to help him and Stan seemed to agree, although thinking on that now he was probably just being sarcastic about it. 

The worst that could happen at this point was that nothing would happen and he would have to find another way to learn how to woo Myra. 

Well that or his curtains could catch on fire... but he was trying not to worry about that right now. 

Sighing deeply and preparing himself for the worst, Eddie tossed the folded-up paper into the candle in front of him. A plume of smoke rose up and he closed his eyes, coughing against it. 

“Oh shit, are you alright?” Eddie coughed harder, not registering the obviously masculine voice. He felt someone gently patting his back in a poor attempt to help him stop choking on the smoke. “Crap! I don’t know I’m doing,” the person whispered probably not as discreet as they’d like to be. 

Once he felt like his lungs weren’t trying to dislodge themselves from his body, Eddie opened his watery eyes to assess the situation. He was still wheezing a bit and was regretting not taking his inhaler out for this. There was still someone patting his back a little harder than necessary and Eddie had to refrain from shoving them away. 

He turned to tell them off and felt his words close and die off in his throat. 

Dark brown hair piled up in curls and waves combined with sharp angular cheekbones, freckles and wild dark eyes behind thick glasses frames, and what was very clearly a masculine being despite the horns nestled in his hair and winding tail swishing behind him. 

This was not a succubus. 

Something had definitely gone wrong somewhere.


	2. Mishaps and misunderstandings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie has to deal with some consequences of someone summoning a demon on whim.

Richie had been having a bit of a rough year so far, every person who had summoned him had no appeal past a quick meal. 

Sure, he still held up his end of the bargain being summoned but he never chose to linger past necessary. It had been a sub par means of keeping his energy up that often left him disappointed. Occasionally there was a person he liked that managed to hold his attention for a week or two, but they never seemed to see him as more than a means to get off. 

He’d just gotten off of a particularly upsetting arrangement, leaving his client without collecting any energy. 

Richie had standards after all and knew his self-worth; or at least that he shouldn’t just allow himself to be tied up by shady people who reeked of malcontent. So, it was a bit of a treat to be summoned by someone who visibly oozed awkwardness and uncertainty. 

It had been a while since someone who was new to this had called him and he was quite pleased that he hadn’t wasted the scraps of energy he had left. 

Although he never had a patron start coughing up a lung as soon as he allowed himself into their home. He was a bit out of sorts himself from running on the fumes of powers and was a little nauseous himself. It was bad manners to ignore someone who wasn’t well, so he tried his best to help although he felt like he was doing more harm than good at this point... 

Richie waited for him to settle down before switching from beating his back into sort of caressing. 

Everything about this was not what he was used to from the overwhelming spicy pumpkin smell (that was very unsexy he decided quickly) to the confusion on the man’s face. Something was off and Richie was starting to feel like he shouldn’t have taken this up after all. 

Still he was drained and wouldn’t be able to go anywhere unless he consumed some form of energy, so he continued with his usual routine, gentle hands moving into something far more sexual and sensual in nature. He felt him shudder pleasantly, but his eyes went wide with horror before he pushed Richie away. 

“Wait!” his client curled into himself, cheeks a rosy red. 

“There’s been a mistake,” he choked out in a rushed panic. “I didn’t mean to summon you!” 

Richie looked around skeptically, “Are you sure about that?” 

Clearly he had, given that all the elements were present and the very suspect chalk circle. 

The other man looked distressed and buried his face in his hands. “Well, I didn’t mean to summon you specifically; I was trying to get a succubus, but I must have done it wrong,” he explained, reluctantly moving his hands away from his face. 

...Wasn’t that a twist, most people didn’t complain when they summoned a sex demon, given that the ritual went with the person’s preference at the time. Richie was a bit at a loss on what to do, surely that book would have explained this thoroughly and people didn’t exactly call for demons on a whim. 

“So, you don’t want me here?” he asked just to confirm. 

“Not really, sorry,” the man smiled weakly, looking rightfully embarrassed. 

Richie leaned back onto his hands, threw his head back and groaned deeply wondering what kind of mess he’d just gotten himself into because he certainly wasn’t strong enough to go back home and accept another summoning offer. He leaned back up and looked at his would-be client thoughtfully, it was sort of his fault for asking him to come here and he must feel some sort of responsibility for this. 

“I can’t exactly leave without getting more energy,” he said bluntly, not seeing the need to drag this out. 

Sighing, the other man nodded accepting and seeming to come to terms with something that Richie wasn’t sure he wanted to know. “You can’t leave until you sleep with someone?” 

“Pretty much,” he agreed, “but it doesn’t have to be you necessarily; I’m an incubus with morals and I respect consent.” 

Relaxing a bit after that he nodded, “Well then, I hope you’re a decent roommate then; I’m Eddie Kaspbrak.” 

He offered his hand meekly to him and Richie looked at it curiously for a second. 

“I’m the best roommate, I’ll have you know,” he beamed accepting the handshake. “Richie Tozier’s my name, roommating is my game.” 

Admittedly Richie had never had a roommate who didn’t want to sleep with him immediately, so this was somewhat of a treat even if he wasn’t going to be getting a large sum of power. For now, he relished in the trickle that seeped in from the platonic gesture. 

Eddie didn’t look too impressed and removed his hand when it became apparent that Richie wasn’t going to let go first. 

“Just clean up after yourself,” he said and then yawned rather cutely before getting up and putting the candles out. “We’ll work out the logistics tomorrow, I’m too tired right now.” 

Richie nodded dumbly, still coming to terms with having a roommate. “Uh, can I raid your kitchen at least, I’m starving.” 

He looked intrigued at him and then pulled Richie up to his feet. 

“I suppose a quick tour is in order before I pass out,” Eddie smiled politely leading him through his home. 

The tour had been very brief and ended with Eddie shoving a couple blankets and a pillow into his arms before retreating into his room. Richie dumped the bedding onto the couch, assuming he was expected to sleep there. It looked like a decent couch, wide and plush, so he had no complaints thus far. He snagged an apple from a fruit bowl and settled on that for a midnight snack because he was a little uneasy about going through Eddie’s fridge even with his permission. 

Wanting to make a good impression despite how they’d met, Richie spent a good half hour scrubbing the chalk circle away and cleaning up the ritual space. Once he was satisfied Eddie would be grateful, he collapsed onto the couch pleased that it was as plush as it had looked. 

He didn’t feel like he had gotten much sleep at all before he was woken up by some knocking. Richie wrinkled his nose distastefully and tried to ignore it, but it still didn’t go away as soon as he’d like and at this point, he wouldn’t be easily slipping back to sleep. Sighing he blindly thrust his hand to the coffee table to grab his glasses before shoving them onto his face unceremoniously. 

The knocking persisted and now Richie was compelled to see who it was. He decided to answer the door before it woke Eddie since he figured it was the good roommate thing to do. Richie used up more of his dwindling energy to hide his demonic features before lazily opening the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to try Richie's pov but I'm probably going to stick to Eddie's ^^;;


	3. The start of something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A surprise visitor shows up and makes things awkward for a bit; conversations afterwards do not help ease the atmosphere

Eddie had been slowly waking up and ignoring the door, if it had been anyone important than they would have either called or made sure he knew in advance that they were coming by. 

He was still exhausted after the bizarre dream he had, although he was bothered that the smell of pumpkin spice seemed to linger even after he woke up. Honestly, he had to stop offering to proofread for Bill, it was messing with his head. 

Eventually the knocking got replaced with talking- talking that was distinctly Myra and... 

Oh shit! 

Eddie launched himself out of bed and into coherence in record time, the events of last night finally clicking back into place now that he could hear his girlfriend very clearly displeased with his new temporary roommate. He just hoped that Richie hadn’t messed this up any more than Myra probably had already made it out to be. 

Carefully he walked into the room and positioned himself between Richie and Myra. 

“Marty, I didn’t know you were coming to visit,” Eddie said, feeling more on edge than he should but also deeply relieved that Richie somehow had gotten rid of his horns. He couldn’t exactly come up with a decent explanation for why he was wearing such tight clothing but at least the slept-on couch was very visible from here. 

“I had some free time before my classes so I thought I would drop by and surprise you,” she said stiffly, looking around him to look at Richie. “I wasn’t aware you had company,” she added snidely, looking him over. 

Eddie cleared his throat nervously, “Well this is my... project partner Richie.” He looked at him pleadingly to go with it, “Richie, this is my girlfriend, Myra.” 

Richie smiled charmingly and held his hand out to Myra, “I apologize for imposing, we stayed up a little too late on the project and I don’t like to drive in the dark.” 

She still seemed suspicious but that was typical with her and she at least accepted the gesture despite keeping it very short. Myra was always stiffly polite to his guests, well all of them except for Bill who she never seemed to warm up to; not that she had even really warmed up to him despite them dating for multiple years now. 

Richie had been watching them rather curiously which was making him feel a bit self-conscious over the whole situation. He quickly leaned down and kissed her cheek sweetly, both to pacify her and so that he could stop looking at Richie. Myra leaned into his side happily, giving Richie a look as if she’d just won something which left Eddie feeling a little lost, but he figured it must have had something to do with whatever they’d been discussing before he’d come out. 

Eddie noticed how stilted Richie looked now and felt guilty for making him feel awkward; he probably shouldn’t have kissed her with him in the same room. “Myra, we still have a little more work to get done, if you don’t mind?” 

“I don’t mind hanging out while you guys work,” she said sweetly, smiling in a way that admittedly made him feel a bit sick. 

“We were planning to finish at the library because I have class before Eddie,” Richie chimed in, syrupy thick and hard to deny. 

“Oh, alright,” she blinked, looking at Eddie confused. 

“We can go out another time,” he assured he softly, leading her towards the door. Eddie made sure to kiss her briefly before closing the door and slumping against it exhausted. At least she hadn’t pushed the matter and hadn’t seen any of the stuff he left out from last night. 

“...So, you have a girlfriend?” Richie inquired curiously, coming to stand by Eddie. 

“We need to talk,” Eddie sighed, standing up straight and going to the living room to sit down. Thankfully Myra didn’t know his schedule well enough to know that he didn’t actually have any classes today. 

Richie seemed reluctant to follow but willingly sat next to him when he reached the couch. “I, uh, cleaned up for you,” he said nervously, pulling a blanket onto his lap to fiddle with. Eddie wondered if he had these sorts of conversations often. 

Eddie relaxed into the cushions, smiling gratefully at Richie. “Thank fuck, I really didn’t want to deal with that,” he admitted shyly. “But, um, back on track we need to talk about my girlfriend and why I was trying to summon a succubus.” 

“Right that,” Richie agreed. “I should probably explain some of my stuff too...” 

“That would be appreciated,” Eddie added stalling for time. He was actually more embarrassed than he thought he would be to explain what was going on even though he’d already done so to both Bill and Stan. “Well, I’ll go first since I started this,” he smiled ruefully. “I’m not sure if you could tell but things between Myra and me are a little... stunted to say the least.” 

“I could definitely tell given the interrogation I got,” Richie said sagely. 

Eddie slinked further into the cushions, resisting the urge to hide his face. “I don’t want to know about that,” he decided. After taking a breath he continued his explanation, “I sort of... maybe.. thought it would be a good idea to learn how to woo her so that she would stop calling my mom and getting on my case.” He grabbed the other blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders thinking about how easy it would be to just smother himself to death. 

Richie, for what it was worth, laughed for a much shorter time than Bill had. Eddie was starting to regret more than one life decision up to this point, especially when he was pretty sure there were at least five new texts on his phone from both Myra and his mother. 

“Sorry, Eds, I just can’t believe you summoned me because of your mother,” he got out between chuckles. 

Eddie flushed and glared at him; he wasn’t used to nicknames. Everyone already called him ‘Eddie’ which in itself was a nickname; even Myra wasn’t one for pet names. “My name is Eddie,” he managed to get out weakly in defense. “And fuck off, you’d do it too if you had my mother,” he added more aggressively after he came back to his senses. 

“Alright, alright; I’m sorry,” Richie slumped over mirthfully, leaning onto Eddie a bit. “So, you wanted a succubus to what, teach you to seduce someone?” 

“I might not have thought that part through,” Eddie admitted allowing himself to snicker a bit. “Honestly I didn’t expect it to actually work.” 

“That’s so dumb.” 

“Shut up,” Eddie slapped him playfully. “You have some explaining too you know.” He wasn’t really sure what he had to explain but was looking forward to not being the only one embarrassed, at least he’d hoped so anyways. 

Richie whined low in his throat childishly and nodded. “Okay, well I’m going to go off on a limb here and say that you didn’t really do your research into this.” 

“You are not wrong,” Eddie replied mirthfully, already passed embarrassment at this point. 

“Well, then you probably aren’t aware of how incubi function and I really don’t feel like giving a full anatomy lesson, so I’ll give you the shorthand version.” 

Eddie watched as his horns rematerialized with soft puffs of smoke. “This is just one of the few things I can do with my magic,” he referred to his horns. “It takes energy to do magic and I get that energy through, for lack of better phrasing, affections.” 

Okay so maybe, Eddie was more intrigued by the horns than the incubus lesson, but he wasn’t about to let that show. He was a college student, so he had plenty of practice feigning interest and asking questions at the right time. “What kind of... affections?” he asked actually wanting to know that part at the very least. 

“Pretty much any sort of physical contact, like this,” Richie said grabbing Eddie’s hand. “Although sex is the quickest most sure-fire way to get a lot of it quick.” 

Eddie was a bit caught off guard but allowed Richie to hold his hand. He wasn’t used to things like this despite Myra and he wondered if it was because he didn’t do things like this that she was upset. It was actually quite nice, Eddie decided lacing his fingers in between Richie’s- only because he needed the energy that came from it. 

Richie looked surprised if not also contented with how everything was playing out. “Alright, okay,” he murmured frazzled. “So, I don’t have enough power to get home and I probably won’t until I sleep with someone,” he readdressed from last night. “Can I stay here until I figure that part out?” 

“Of course,” Eddie agreed quickly. “I, um, don’t have any plans tonight if you wanted to go out and try and... accomplish that?” 

Richie snorted loudly at his wording, “Holy shit, no wonder things are rocky in your relationship.” 

Eddie slapped him a little harder for that comment, but still not enough to be seen as anything more than friendly. 

“I deserved that one,” Richie chortled, “but please never use ‘accomplish’ when you talk about having sex again.” 

He was still not used to sex being talked to so openly and turned his face away in an attempt to hide his embarrassment; although really, he was probably just drawing more attention to it. “Whatever, I know a club that serves pretty cheap drinks that we could go to,” he offered. 

“Clubs and cheap booze are a good start,” Richie agreed, looking less than pleased despite what he had said. “You mentioned having classes earlier, shouldn’t you be getting ready?” he asked, successfully switching the topic. 

Eddie smiled slyly and shook his head, “Yeah about that; I just wanted Myra to go, I don’t actually have any classes scheduled today.” 

Richie raised his eyebrow at this but looked a little proud perhaps, Eddie wasn’t quite sure on why that would be though. “What sort of classes are you even taking?” he asked to keep the conversation going. 

“Business classes if Myra asks,” Eddie whispered conspiringly. “In reality I’m taking mechanical engineering and shop classes.” 

He hummed and looked at Eddie appraisingly, “I was wondering if you worked out or not.” His eyes trailed along the slightly toned muscles of his arms, causing Eddie to be a bit self-conscience and readjust the blanket to hide his form better. “You look good,” Richie assured, seeming to pick up on his nerves. 

“Thanks,” Eddie responded clipped and bashful. 

Compliments were rare when they weren’t coming from his mother and even those felt laced with falsities and poison. He had a complicated relationship there and really had hoped she would leave him be after he moved so far away for college. 

Clearly, he was mistaken given the amount of calls and texts he received from her on a weekly basis; he had only started dating Myra to get her off his back. He hadn’t expected the two of them to hit it off so well and have such similar visions for him. Eddie was a bit resentful of her, but a few more years and he would be graduated and could safely cut all ties to her and move somewhere she wouldn’t be able to reach him. He had days where he felt immensely guilty over that thought too though, regardless of how much Bill reminded him how toxic and controlling his mother truly was. 

“Hey, Eds?” Richie questioned, squeezing their still joined hands. Eddie blinked back nodding to show he was listening. “What do you have for breakfast foods?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think Fridays will be when I update for future reference.  
Thanks for reading!! ^^


	4. Clubbing and puppy eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys hit the club.

Eddie had fallen into step with his new roommate quicker than he thought he would have. He found himself actually enjoying the company and going out of his way to spend time with him that he otherwise would have dedicated to studying and working on assignments. Even the subtle jabs to his relationship and Richie’s penchant for nicknames was a bit endearing to him now that he was coming to terms with it and accepting that he didn’t mean anything harmful by it. 

He’d never been more grateful for Stan and Bill leaving clothes in his apartment than he was when they need to get ready to go clubbing. Countless impromptu sleepovers had led to them having a special space set aside specifically in his closet for them and they abused this by keeping most of their dressier clothes here claiming that it was more space efficient for them considering the lack of space they had living in the campus dorms. 

Richie had taken to the subtle patterned button downs that Stan left but much to Eddie’s dismay he had only decided to add the shirt on top of what he’d already been wearing- which was tight, tight black leather and very revealing on the shirt aspect. He felt his stomach twisting up with jealousy that he decided was based on the fact that he’d never be able to pull off an outfit quite like that. 

“That is so unhygienic,” Eddie said, holding back a compliment over how good Richie actually looked. 

He stuck his tongue out at him childishly in response and pushed past him to start finger combing his hair. “Well this shirt isn’t exactly big enough for me to button properly,” Richie informed him, flexing to show how the fabric strained and pulled. 

Eddie rolled his eyes and handed him his brush before pushing him out of the room so that he could get dressed. He was going to just go in what he would normally wear to class but now he felt like he should put a little bit of effort in, just so that he wouldn’t look out of place with Richie... 

It was only just starting to get cold so he should still be fine with shorts; he was actually very well aware of how toned and nice his legs looked in them and he liked to spend a little bit of extra time to shave them just to extenuate the fact. Myra nagged him about how unmanly it was, but Eddie didn’t let that stop him and if anything, it only spurred him on. 

He hadn’t had a chance to break out his new pair of red shorts and he was pretty thrilled to be getting some use out of them before fall completely set in for the semester. Eddie was quite proud of the outfit he managed to pull together and hoped he wouldn’t look too childish next to Richie. 

Although he wasn’t quite sure why that would bother him so much since the whole point of this was to get Richie laid and Eddie was perfectly happy with his girlfriend. He frowned and wasn’t sure why he was feeling so strange. 

There wasn’t enough time to puzzle that out and he could hear Richie rummaging around in the bathroom. Eddie sighed and left his room to make sure his things would be in order. He walked in on Richie crouching down and looking through a drawer filled with all sorts of bandages and antibiotic creams. Richie was carefully examining all the bottles with his tongue peeking out the corner of his lips. 

“What are you doing?” Eddie asked disrupting the moment and causing Richie to look up at him, entirely unapologetic. 

“I’m trying to find some hair gel or something.” 

He nodded and opened the drawer on the top left before removing a tub of pomade that he used quite regularly when he wasn’t getting up too late in the mornings. Richie’s face scrunched up a bit in puzzlement and he couldn’t help but assume that he’d already checked this drawer and had missed it. He pushed the drawer he'd been searching back in and stood up from his hunches. 

“Thanks,” Richie smiled, rather fondly it would seem. He took the jar from Eddie and inspected it for a few moments before opening it and taking a tentative smell of the product. Eddie felt a bit out of place watching but Richie didn’t object and besides he wanted to style his hair and it just worked out better to share the mirror. 

Richie dipped his fingers into the gel and started applying it sparingly, using it to accent his curls in certain places. Eddie wasn’t as confident in how his hair looked when it was left wavy, so he started slathering a decent amount on before combing it straight. Occasionally they would bump each other to get a better view in the small mirror and Eddie found it more amusing than annoying like he had expected he would have. 

The drive to the club was rather uneventful aside from Richie flipping through the radio channels every five minutes or so. Eddie was pleased with his self-restraint for not snapping at him for it even though he really, really wanted to when he left it on the gospel station because “they need some Jesus before busting down tonight.” 

Eddie wasn’t much for bars, but this was one that came with high recommendations from Stan, who was much pickier than he was. They would usually come down here to celebrate the end of finals and even midterms if they had particularly grueling classes. Richie appeared to be quite intrigued as he took in the crowd of people and the karaoke stage tucked a little ways away from the main dance floor. 

He was actually very giddy to find out it was a karaoke bar and insisted on pulling Eddie over to that side of the building. Richie even seemed alright with his refusals to sing anything, saying that he just wanted to listen for a bit. Eddie didn’t see any harm in that and was secretly glad that they wouldn’t be in the thick of things on the dance floor; he could already see a few people eyeing Richie with interest and he didn’t like it. Even if he needed to sleep with someone, Richie was still Eddie’s roommate for the time being and he would not be allowing him to get an std just so he would move out. 

On the stage there was a red headed girl who was killing her rendition of Cherry Bomb. He could see Richie taking a particular interest as well from how he pushed closer to the stage and kept catching her eye, which made her smile. Eddie had to admit that he could see the appeal with her multitude of bracelets and overalls, she was definitely cute. 

When her song ended, she went right up to Richie and started a conversation. She looked at Eddie curiously and he felt like maybe he should leave them be even though he couldn’t shake the budding jealousy he’d been feeling since she started making eyes at Richie. He was positive it was just because they seemed to be hitting it off so easily, an effortless way he'd never have, but still he didn’t want to leave. 

“So who’s your friend?” she asked regarding Eddie and practically inviting him to stay at that point. 

“This is Eddie Spaghetti,” Richie announced proudly draping an arm around his shoulder. 

“I think I preferred Eds,” Eddie commented disgusted and scrunching his face up at the new nickname. Really though he felt like preening with the attention from Richie, not that he fully understood what he was feeling. 

“I’m Beverly,” she added looking like she’d just pieced something together. “We should get some drinks.” 

Eddie didn’t think he could get through this night without at least one drink but he drove them so he really couldn’t. He had already accepted the designated driver bracelet from the bouncer and held it up sheepishly. “No alcohol for me.” 

Beverly shrugged and motioned them to follow her up to the bar. “That’s fine, Ben makes some killer virgin drinks.” 

The bartender, who he figured must have been Ben, all but beamed when Beverly walked up to him. 

“You were amazing as always,” he praised, readily handing over a premade drink to her. She smiled shyly and thanked him before introducing him to her new acquaintances. 

Eddie noticed the way that Richie stopped trying to stand closer to her, which was very clear given that he had yet to pull away from him. He knew that he should push his arm off given how it caused any curious lingering eyes to move on from Richie, but he decided he quite liked the additional warmth he put off. It really was too cold to be wearing shorts this short he had to reluctantly admit to himself. 

Richie continued to flirt with Beverly, but he also made it a point to do so equally as much with Ben which left a bit of a sour taste in Eddie’s mouth. At least Bev had been right about Ben making some really good non-alcoholic drinks. She’d been given a nickname much quicker than he had been and he was distraught to note that it fit so well that he’d subconsciously started using it too. 

He’d actually been zoning out a good portion of their conversation and only had just tuned back in when Ben started pouring out what looked like an awful lot of shots, the right amount that would lead to bad ideas and regrets. 

Eddie was now grateful for the first time this evening that he wasn’t allowed any alcohol, especially when he had an algebra class quite early tomorrow. He already wasn’t the best at math and he knew from experience that mixing that with a hangover only made it so much worse. 

Both Beverly and Richie looked a little bit gone already and Eddie hoped that Ben had been keeping a closer eye on their consumption than he had been. They both started on the line of shots, stopping to giggle when Richie tried to make it a more exaggerated motion and ended up pouring half a shot down the front of his shirt. 

Eddie was starting to regret not keeping a closer eye on him and already knew who he was coming home with; there was absolutely no way he’d let him go home with anyone in this state. 

He caught Ben’s eye and silently shook his head when Richie was asking to have the shot refilled. Ben smiled knowingly and calmly started telling Richie that he’d had enough, which Eddie was deeply thankful for. 

Richie whined around a bit after that but perked up when Bev offered that they go sing some karaoke. He turned to Eddie and grabbed his arm pulling him along with them, much to his distress. Ben was no help and even had the gall to chuckle at the predicament he got stuck in, waving at him. 

Richie was trying fairly hard to convince him to sing a duet with him and it was not helping to have Beverly egging him on. He held Eddie’s hands and was giving him some very good puppy eyes that were only magnified by his glasses Eddie noted distraught. 

Bev had more mercy than she probably liked to let on though because she offered to do one with him later. 

He refused to let them know what song he picked to sing solo but looked far too pleased which worried Eddie given how intoxicated he was. Although Richie was ecstatic so really it couldn’t be that bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus chapter this week for thanksgiving! (Even though it's over rip)   
There will be another chapter tomorrow/later today too because that's my designated upload day. :)


	5. Shakira Shakira

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some karaoke happens and Richie gets some digits.

It was that bad; actually it was worse than he expected. 

Eddie was glad he wasn’t up there singing Shakira with Richie but couldn’t deny that he had a good voice. It was hard to ignore him when he was belting out all the words to Hips Don’t Lie like he knew all the words by heart- which he probably did given how he was dancing around putting on quite the show for both Bev and... him? 

He had noticed watching how Richie was pointedly watching him and making motions to him. 

Richie moved fluidly for someone as lanky as he was especially considering the amount of shots he’d taken not that long ago. He also looked completely aware of how much he’d captivated Eddie’s attention given how much extra effort he put into his movements. Eddie’s eyes faithfully followed his hand’s movement down his chest and Bev seemed to have caught onto the moment to ushering him closer. 

He was oddly flattered but also incredibly mortified to have so many people looking over at him now that people seemed to have caught onto Richie motioning to him specifically.

It certainly did not help that Beverly kept trying to get him up on the stage with Richie. It was a big relief when the song finally ended and he jumped down off the stage, much to Eddie’s horror. 

Thankfully he was still coordinated enough not to have broken his ankle from the stunt. 

Richie was pouting at him and didn’t waste any time taking Beverly’s place. She stopped pulling on his arm towards the end of the song when it was pointless to get Eddie up on stage so now it was free real estate for Richie to snuggle into. Eddie didn’t even try to free his arm at this point, Richie was too far gone to reason with and really he should be trying to get him to bed. 

“Can we get him a rain check on that duet?” Eddie asked politely, noting how Richie was leaning heavily against him looking far too sleepy to stay much longer. 

Beverly looked at the two of them rather amused and nodded. “Sure, just one thing real quick,” she said pulling a felt tip marker from her pocket. She grabbed Richie’s arm and wrote a surprisingly neat string of numbers and her name under them. 

Richie had gotten her number and Eddie wasn’t even sure what to make of that. He seemed quite excited about it though, holding his wrist up to Eddie to proudly display the digits before he gently started to blow on them to dry the ink quicker. 

“We’ll see you around I guess,” Eddie said wondering again what he’d gotten himself into. 

“Next time bring another driver,” Beverly grinned, walking with them to the entrance. Richie pouted about not being able to dance more when they walked through the main area and Eddie was relieved to have another person keep him from bolting. “We need to get some tequila into you, so you’ll sing with us,” she winked. 

Eddie was not sure if he was looking forward to that day but maybe he could befriend them better. He didn’t have very many friends, mostly because he didn’t see the point on having a lot. Myra caused enough of a hassle with Bill and Stan so he didn’t want to know how she’d act knowing he might have befriended a girl from a bar, not to mention a bartender. 

“We’ll have to see about that,” Eddie replied unimpressed at the door. 

Bev laughed and waved him off from around the bouncer before disappearing back into the throng of club goers. 

“Why are we leaving?” Richie whined, clinging harder to Eddie causing him to stumble under the additional weight. 

“Because you are drunk,” he told him deadpan. “Drunk and tired.” 

“No, I’m not,” Richie countered, “I feel perfectly fine!” 

He let go of Eddie and tripped over the curb because he wasn’t paying attention. Richie managed to catch himself before he actually hit the pavement, but Eddie grabbed his arm and slung it around his shoulder for his own peace of mind. He gave him a pointed look and Richie giggled sheepishly in response, leaning back into Eddie comfortably. 

Eddie shook his head fondly, pulling him along towards his car. The streetlamps had probably been turned on for a few hours now given the number of moths he could see circling them and he was positive that they’d been out later than he normally like to be on a school night. Still he couldn’t find himself to be disappointed when he had Richie wrapped around him, although his legs felt disjointedly cold in comparison to how warm his torso now was. 

“Your legs are so long,” Richie crowed looking down at them with a strange sort of fascination. 

“Thanks?” Eddie responded very confused and flattered. 

“But you're so short,” he continued squinting at them scrutinizing. “It doesn’t make sense.” 

“Please just get in the car,” Eddie frowned, now annoyed. They’d been standing by his car for a little while now and he’d been patiently waiting for Richie to notice the fact. 

Richie looked up and seemed surprised that the car was in front of him. He hummed intrigued by the development and slid into the seat freely when Eddie opened the door for him. 

Eddie sighed and got into the driver’s seat looking over to see Richie struggling with the seatbelt for a few seconds before reaching over and clicking it into place himself. Richie ran his fingers along the belt for a moment before meekly thanking Eddie. 

He smiled and turned the heat up, allowing a minute for the car to heat up before he started driving. This time Richie seemed content to leave the radio alone, not even complaining when Eddie turned it down to just a soft background noise for the drive. 

It was a little too suspicious and he wasn’t too shocked to find Richie curled up in the passenger seat mouth open slightly with sleep. 

Eddie couldn’t help finding it almost cute if he hadn’t been drooling on his seat. He didn’t see the need to wake him up over that though and took this time to appreciate the calmness of having another person’s presence keeping him company. Eddie hadn’t really considered himself a lonely person, but he was beginning to question if he might have been wrong about that after all. 

His biggest dilemma of the night was not what he expected, Eddie realized watching Richie snore softly. He’d parked a few minutes ago and was unsure on how to go about waking him. Sighing he finally undid his own seatbelt before reaching over to unclick Richie’s. 

“Richie,” Eddie called out softly, tentatively reaching out to jostle his shoulder a bit. Richie’s face scrunched up a bit in response and Eddie was struck again with the knowledge that his new roommate was really cute. 

“Wake up,” he said a bit more forcefully, disturbed by his own traitorous thoughts. 

Richie groaned and tried to brush Eddie’s hand away. “Don’t wanna,” he whined shuffling in the seat to get more comfortable. 

“I’ll leave you out here,” Eddie threatened. “It’s going to be much colder without the heater on.” Already the car was a bit colder than he was used to and he regretted taking the key out as soon as he parked. “Come on, it’s not even that far of a walk.” 

Pouting, Richie finally opened his eyes to look at Eddie. He didn’t look at all amused and Eddie figured that had everything to do with the alcohol glazed sheen his eyes still held. “Help me?” he asked making grabby hands at him. 

“Fine,” Eddie rolled his eyes, smiling the barest hint of a smile. He should be annoyed that he had to basically carry Richie either up the stairs or into the elevator but for some reason he didn’t seem to hate the idea. Actually, he was rather excited to be that close to Richie again. 

Eddie shivered against the brisk breeze and opened Richie’s door for him. Richie smiled syrupy sweet and willingly stepped out to drape himself over Eddie. He didn’t even mind how cold it was now and found himself tempted to take the stairs just to prolong the moment. However, there wasn’t enough pros to outweigh the cons of having to carry a drunk Richie up three flights of stairs so he veered them towards the elevator. 

Richie was oddly well behaved as a drunk which he hadn’t been expecting from how often he took to cracking jokes earlier. He did take to subtly feeling up Eddie’s arm in the elevator, but it didn’t really feel intrusive. Eddie should be scolding him and pushing away because he had a girlfriend, but he didn’t see the need to do so, Richie was quite drunk and there was no way he truly meant any of this. (Besides he'd likely forget doing so in the morning anyways.)

“I could teach you, ya know?” Richie mumbled softly, hands getting a little more adventurous trailing all the way from his bicep down to his wrist. His fingers lazily laced with Eddie’s and he rested his head on his shoulder giving Eddie an interestingly smoldering look that had his stomach flipping. 

“Teach me what?” Eddie asked against his suddenly dry throat, the words working to drag themselves out against his better judgement. 

“How to seduce someone,” Richie purred his thumb pressing soothing circles against his knuckles. 

“You’re drunk,” Eddie replied dryly. His heart thudded in a way he hadn’t felt in a number of years and he couldn’t help wondering if maybe he was getting sick. He was feeling oddly feverish today... 

Richie whined at the rejection and buried his face into Eddie’s shoulder, nuzzling in a way that had his curls tickling against his neck in a disjointedly domestic way. His heart twist again at the sensation and he could tell he was blushing visibly from how warm his face felt. 

“You need to sleep this off,” Eddie scolded him, pulling Richie blindly with him when the elevator finally reached their floor. Richie lifted his face but didn’t move away from his shoulder, making the whole walk much more difficult now that he had Richie hunched over and dragging them down. He wasn’t even very coordinated when he was standing all the way up and it was a miracle that Eddie was strong enough to keep them both up right let alone walk without them tumbling towards the floor. 

Thankfully Richie didn’t get in the way of Eddie unlocking and opening the door. He even willingly let go and collapsed onto the couch with minimal prompting from him. Eddie knew that he should try to get him to drink some water so that his hangover wouldn’t be so bad in the morning, but Richie was already burrowing himself up in the blankets. He contented himself with leaving him a glass of it and some aspirin for his headache tomorrow. 

And if he waited a few minutes longer than necessary just to watch Richie to make sure he was sleeping on his side than that was just him being a good roommate and making sure that Richie wouldn’t choke to death on his own vomit. Actually, Eddie was really hoping that Richie wouldn’t throw up on his couch... 

He shuttered a bit at the thought and moved on with his nightly routines. It wasn’t long before Eddie was tucked into his cozy bed almost exactly three hours past when he normally would be. Eddie yawned sleepily and couldn’t even think to spare any extra time to studying right now. He curled around his pillows and feel asleep thinking of dark eyes and thick glasses. If he had been more coherent at the time he probably would have been disturbed by this recent development.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be the most confusing slow burn I've ever written and that's exciting to me lol


	6. White lies and study groups

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie goes to the library and spills some beans.

Eddie woke up before his alarm the next morning despite that lack of sleep he normally got. He felt more rested than he had in ages and didn’t see the need to stay sleeping in until his alarm finally did go off. His back popped satisfyingly when he stretched and he allowed himself a content noise before pulling himself from the bed. He took a few minutes to rearrange the sheets neatly and then made his way towards the bathroom to shower. 

It was a bit disgusting to have just slept in his gelled-up club hair and he was disappointed in himself for just allowing himself to go to sleep like that. He made a special stop to check on Richie- just to ensure that he hadn’t died during the night. 

Richie had shifted onto his back somewhere along the way and had splayed himself out to take up as much space as possible. Eddie was oddly charmed by it and carefully untangled one of the blankets from his legs to drape over his body a little more fully. It wasn’t really cold, but he felt like he’d be guilty if he didn’t do so. Now that he was content, Eddie picked out some clothes and jumped in the shower to quickly clean up before his morning classes. 

He decided on the fly that he was going to rush his morning routines so that he would have enough extra time just to prepare a proper warm breakfast. Richie would definitely be need the nutrition to nurse his impending hangover because Eddie didn’t expect he would actually sleep the whole day away despite how dead asleep he’d appeared earlier. 

Eddie wrapped his freshly showered damp hair up in a towel and cheerfully made his way to his kitchen. He was a bit disappointed with his options to cook with but at least he had eggs and a few sausage links left over. It would have to do because he really didn’t have the time or extra energy to go all the way to the store and back before his algebra class. 

Richie didn’t even stir in the slightest at the smell of food cooking. Eddie normally didn’t allow it to get to this bad but he was sure that Richie would appreciate the greasier version, although it probably wouldn’t do any good for his hangover. He smiled a bit when he realized he wouldn’t even be here when Richie would be complaining about it. Eddie had already decided he would be awful and obnoxious when hungover but that might have been a little unfair since he didn’t know Richie all that well yet and they’d only gone drinking one time. 

He didn’t really feel like waking Richie up when he looked so peaceful and besides, he should let him sleep off as much of it as he could. Food could always be reheated after all. Eddie felt guilty for just leaving without telling Richie what was going on, so he tentatively wrote out a quick note and tucked it underneath the aspirin. He paused and carefully took Richie’s glasses off his face and folded them neatly on the table. Really he should have done that last night or at least urged Richie to do so but it felt like too personal a gesture; a little too friendly. 

Feeling much better about his current actions, Eddie finally laced up his shoes and headed out to campus. He wondered if he could get Bill to make some time to see him, they usually had a study group arrangement for today anyways so he wasn’t sure why he was so nervous about it. 

Except that he did know. He knew precisely why, and it all had to do with his new roommate. Eddie was trying to come to terms with the fact that he’d summoned a demon. He tried not to dwell on it too much during his math class but it was very distracting. Eddie made sure to text his group chat with Stan and Bill to get a meet up as soon as they could. 

Bill was the only one who had a schedule similar to Eddie’s today so he agreed to meet him in the library. He was probably pretty eager to hear about what happened since Eddie had specifically mentioned that it had to do with the ritual. It worked out pretty good for Eddie to meet up at the library since he had to return the book anyways and he sort of felt like he should thank Mike for being so helpful. 

Eddie was fairly certain that he wouldn’t be in his current situation if he had been the one to pick out the book for summoning demons. He wasn’t sure if he was thankful or pissed that the spell had somewhat worked, even if it wasn’t what he wanted. For a brief moment he was actually considering trying the spell again, but he really didn’t need a repeat of that night. Plus he wasn’t sure if it was good etiquette to have two sex demons in that same house. He at least had the decency to blush now that he was fully realizing what he had done. 

Really he should stop being so impulsive when he was overwhelmed. Eddie still hadn’t told anyone just how overwhelmed he was with his current relationship. He tended to leave out quite a few of the details just to stew with them alone, mostly because he didn’t want to be a hassle to his friends. They were his problems and he already was quite aware of where his friends stood on the matter of his girlfriend. He secretly stood there too if he was being completely transparent with himself; he didn't dwell on that. 

Bill gave him a hug as a greeting as per usual and Eddie sunk into the familiar comfort. Myra always gave him side eyes for their habitual hugs. He smiled and ushered him towards their usual table towards the back where they could talk freely without disturbing anyone who actually bothered to come to the library to study. 

Eddie was intrigued by the ease Bill had around Mike, who’d stopped by their table to ask about Eddies ‘project.’ He flushed under both sets of eyes and managed to mumble that it was going better than he hoped for. Mike didn’t know that he was actually doing the ritual, but Bill looked at him with wild curious eyes itching to ask more. 

He pulled the book from his bag and handed it back to Mike since it seemed like the reasonable thing to do while he was right there. Mike accepted the book amused and then pat Bill’s shoulder fondly before heading back to sit at the main table for his student job. 

“Eddie!” Myra chirped gleefully from behind him, before Bill could even get his first question out. His curious expression dampened and shut off at Myra seating herself between them. Eddie wasn’t sure if he should ask her to leave or be grateful that she would buy him some time before he had to recount what he’d done for Bill. He wasn’t even sure if he was supposed to talk about Richie, they hadn’t discussed if he could tell his friends that he’d summoned a demon. There wasn’t exactly a handbook for this sort of thing... or maybe there was in the book he’d already turned back in. 

“Hey, Myra,” he said after he realized that he’d probably taken too long to acknowledge her. 

She was frowning at him expectantly and he had the feeling that he was supposed to be doing something else. Eddie didn’t have time to puzzle out all the hidden expectations that she had for him so he just kept quiet and waited in painful tense silence for someone to say something. 

Myra sighed and leaned into his side as she seemed to come to terms with the choice that Eddie had made. “Did you remember to take your medications while that dirty Richie boy was over,” she asked, looking at him with calculating eyes practically spitting out his name in a way that had his skin crawling uncomfortably. 

“Of course,” Eddie lied smoothly. He was surprised to realize that he had not actually even thought about his medications once since Richie came into his life. There just wasn’t any time to with Richie constantly inserting himself when he could, and then also even when he shouldn’t. “He’s just my writing partner and it was a one-time thing.” 

Bill raised his brow at him inquisitively from behind Myra but didn’t say anything. They’d been writing partners pretty much since they started being assigned papers back in high school. It just made sense to proofread each other's work when they were always hanging out together anyways. Now that Eddie was placed in creative writing to satisfy one of his credit requirements, Bill had insisted that they be writing buddies for all the partner projects because they already had a steady study group going. 

She hummed suspiciously but left it alone after that moving on to question his diet habits and nagging him for supposedly not getting enough iron in his diet. Bill managed to remain composed despite Myra making it crystal clear that she would rather he just not be there. Eddie was drained mentally by the time Myra finally had to leave for one of her afternoon classes. She pecked him on the forehead affectionately making a big show of announcing that she loved him before she left. 

Eddie at least managed to parrot back for her even if it felt more forced and trained into him than anything else. Bill had taken to working on some other homework somewhere along the way and looked up excitedly when she finally was far enough away to not overhear them. 

“Thank goooood,” Bill whispered really drawing it out and stretching out to lay his head on the table. “I thought she would never leave,” he smiled, pulling himself up from the table now that his mildly dramatic display was done with. 

Eddie embarrassingly enough returned the sentiment. He felt rather guilty for feeling that way about his girlfriend, but this was an important matter. Plus, he was holding up Bill from doing something more productive. He chose to stay quiet on the matter. 

“Soooo... Who’s Richie?” Bill asked, wiggling his eyebrows at Eddie cheekily. 

He rolled his eyes and shrugged, “Well he’s not my project partner and I’m sure you’ve pieced it together by now.” 

Bill paused and tilted his head at him incredulously. “Wait. Hold on, you were actually serious about that ritual working??” 

“What did you think I meant by ‘help I accidentally summoned a sex demon’?” 

“I thought it was a joke!” he sputtered out; eyes wide. “You didn’t think to text us once while this was happening?” Bill was running his hands through his hair frazzled. 

Eddie picked at the hem on his shirt nervously not having expected this reaction despite how ridiculous and bizarre what he was saying was. “Maybe you guys should just come... meet him?” 

Bill froze and Eddie could see the cogs turning in his head. 

“Him?” he asked confused. “Wait! He’s still there?!” 

Eddie blushed and nodded meekly. “He didn’t have anywhere to go and I did summon him so...” 

“Okay, okay,” Bill murmured looking more freaked out than Eddie would like. “So what; we just move our normal study session to your apartment then?” 

“That would probably be easiest,” he smiled, thankful Bill wasn’t asking any more questions about Richie. 

Bill checked the time on his watch and looked relieved. “Stan should be on his way back to the dorms now; could you give me and Silver a ride back?” 

“Of course,” Eddie grinned. 

As of right now he was the only one of the three of them to own a car since Bill and Stan lived on campus, they usually just asked him for rides on the offhand chance they had to go off campus. Stan bought a bus card that he let Bill use if Eddie was too busy to drive them around but for the most part, they chose to bike from one side of campus to the other. He had actually upgraded to a slightly bigger SUV type car just to accommodate having to drive the bikes around if need be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I struggle so much with writing characters so suffer with me I guess lol
> 
> That being said I think I have enough extra prepped out to update bi-weekly now!! Tuesdays and Fridays most likely :)


	7. Soups and cereals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys go for a drive.

Bill took the time to message Stan that their study group was being moved to Eddie’s apartment and that he should repack up any work he wanted to get started. It wasn’t often that they worked from Eddie’s- purely because it was more convenient and cheaper on gas for him to just wait on campus and go to the dorms. He could have just made them take the bus back, but he never felt very good about asking that of them when they usually didn’t get done until well past acceptable dinner hours. 

Stan waited with Eddie while Bill switched and shuffled his own textbooks out. They made some polite small talk and eventually the topic of why they were going to Eddie’s was broached. 

“Does no one understand what ‘I accidentally summoned a sex demon’ mean?” Eddie asked frowning. “It’s not like I normally joke around like that in the group chat.” 

He pursed his lips and regarded Eddie curiously before saying, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Stan’s lips curved in a half smile that Eddie knew meant that he wasn’t going to buy a single word he spoke without proof, which was exactly why Eddie loved both his friend's advice differently. Bill tended to accept most things easily and often looked on the idealistic side of what could happen while Stan liked to have proof and say things more realistically even if it could be harsh at times. 

The drive back to Eddie’s apartment was filled with Stan and Bill chatting about their classes and discussing things they needed to pick up for their dorm room. Eddie offered to stop by the store for them, but Bill shot it down almost immediately claiming that Eddie needed to stop delaying them meeting ‘his sex demon.’ 

Stan chortled a bit at that, and Eddie blatantly denied any relations to Richie. 

Eddie wasn’t sure if he was ready for Stan and Bill to actually meet Richie face to face- that meant actually facing the reality that he successfully brought an incubus into his home. Not only that but it meant that there was an opening to talk more about how his relationship with Myra was falling apart and that he got another male to help solve his problems. He was beginning to get a bit lost in his head by the time he’d managed to lead them on autopilot all the way to his door. 

It was the clicking of his lock and door creaking open that brought him back and he smiled shakily at his friends before opening the door and ushering them in. 

What he hadn’t accounted on was that Richie had gone and taken the blanket from Eddie’s bed and while normally he’d be annoyed with that... Eddie couldn’t help but find the scene a little bit cute, especially when Richie had one of his old textbooks open on his lap. 

His eyes caught Eddie’s and he looked quite excited before his eyes latched on Stan and Bill. 

Eddie wasn’t sure if his demonic features were still visible because of how Richie had swaddled himself in the blanket. He closed the door and herded his friends into the living room with Richie. 

“Hey, Rich, these are my friends- Stan and Bill,” he motioned to both boys respectively and waited nervously for something to happen. 

“Are you sure he’s a sex demon?” Bill whispered to Eddie squinting at Richie. 

“The proper term is ‘incubus’ actually,” Eddie answered not seeing the point in hiding the conversation from Richie. 

“You told them?” Richie asked softly, looking more vulnerable than was fair all wrapped up in his personal blanket. 

“They’re my best friends, so they would have worked it out eventually,” Eddie explained looking away embarrassed. “They knew what I was doing.” 

“Actually, I’m pretty sure that would have been our last guess,” Stan said bluntly. 

“Stan’s right; cheating on Myra with a new boyfriend would have been higher on the list,” Bill offered. 

Richie let the blanket fall around his shoulders when Eddie plopped down into the spot next to him on the couch. His horns gleamed under the dim lights of his living room and Stan at least looked properly shocked at that. 

“Well shit,” Bill laughed incredulously. 

“He actually has horns,” Stan all but whispered. “Those are real right?” 

Richie reached up and shyly brushed his fingers against his horns. 

“They’re as real as you and I,” he confirmed. 

Stan nodded and then turned to Bill, “I didn’t accidentally take anything before we left did I?” 

“Not that I’m aware of,” Bill chuckled, patting his arm comfortingly. “We should probably start working if you actually intend on getting any work done.” 

Eddie decided that Bill was an angel among men at that moment because he could feel Richie stop tensing up next to him. 

Okay so maybe he was sitting a little closer than he really needed to be but who was going to call him out for that. Besides he owed Richie at least this little bit of contact- for the energy! 

“Can I touch them though?” Stan asked after a beat. 

“Stan!” Bill squawked, hitting his bicep. “You can’t just ask someone that, can he?” He turned to Richie for confirmation at that last part. Richie shrugged but didn’t offer any helpful insight on the subject. “Come on Stan we all have to get this humanities outline done,” his lips were pursed, and he was pointedly looking at his textbook. 

Eddie wasn’t sure what to do with the ugly green feelings twisting his chest into knots. He knew that he shouldn’t be jealous of his friends getting along with Richie so well but here he was. Really this was going better than he could hope for and still he was left feeling a bit sick at the interest they were showing Richie. 

He pulled out his own copy of their humanities textbook and smiled a bit when Richie leaned against him to read over his shoulder, unknowingly undoing the knots forming in his chest. 

Eddie ended up moving his textbook to sit between them but that was only because he needed more space for him to be writing down a chapter outline. 

They had all been fortunate to be taking humanities at the same class time, which didn’t happen often with their different degrees. Eddie was taking this to satisfy a fine arts credit and he figured that Stan was too, but Bill had to take this class as one of his degree requirements. He often talked about how much he hated the class but Eddie and Stan both knew that he secretly enjoyed it, especially since they weren’t as knowledgeable in art terms and usually ended up going to him with any questions they had. It became a bit of a routine to just do their outlines together and after a while it spiraled out to helping each other with various other classes and homework as well. 

Eddie couldn’t complain about how it worked out; particularly because he was certain that Stan was the only reason he knew what was happening in algebra right now. It wasn’t his fault that the professor had a thick German accent but Stan had already taken the course last semester and he kept pristine notes for all his classes. Eddie lived by and worshiped Stan’s old notebook right now because it laid everything out crystal clear, step by step. 

They worked past the streetlights coming on and continued to hang out until most of the stores were closing. Eddie had to force them to get back in his car so he could drive them back because there wasn’t enough room to comfortably house all four of them; or at least not enough blankets to go around since normally one of them had to sleep on the floor anyways when they did happen to spend the night. 

Richie shoved himself into the front seat before Stan or Bill could even think about it, but they seemed content enough in the back seat from what Eddie could see through the mirror and dim lighting. The radio was left turned down and conversations flowed easily. 

“I’m just saying that if soup is just solids floating in a liquid broth of some sort, then cereal definitely counts as a soup,” Richie told them mirthfully. 

“Okay but what about oatmeal?” Bill asked in return. “Is that also a soup?” 

“Are we actually debating this right now?” Stan asked incredulously. 

“You’re right, Stan, obviously oatmeal also counts as a soup too,” Richie nodded wisely, ignoring the tone. 

Eddie had been quietly listening and fuming at the claim for far too long and that was what pushed him over the edge. “Bill google the definition of a soup for me because I AM NOT LISTENING TO THIS BULLSHIT!” 

Richie started cackling which set off a cascade of laughter from the back seat too. Eddie remained firm on his stance but even he couldn’t stop the smile from forming, the mirth was contagious and whenever he caught Richie’s eyes in a side glance it made him feel a bit softer. 

“Okay, okay,” Bill wheezed, holding up his phone. “The first definition reads: ‘a liquid dish, typically made by boiling meat, fish, or vegetables, etc., in stock or water’.” 

“Which means they are NOT a soup!” Eddie concluded serving Richie a seething glare. 

Richie held his hand out to Bill, “Hold on let me see that.” 

Bill raised his eyebrow and gave Richie his phone curious to see where this was going. 

“Ah ha!” Richie grinned ferally. “Definition two: ‘a substance or mixture perceived to resemble soup in appearance or consistently’!” 

“Are you kidding me?!” Stan laughed, grabbing the phone from Richie. “Jesus Christ, that’s a reach; you literally said that it is ‘perceived to resemble soup’.” 

Bill leaned over and double checked it with Stan. “Well, I guess it’s close enough?” 

“I hate all of you and I have every right to kick you all out on the streets right here,” Eddie complained slowing to a stop at a light. 

“We aren’t that far from campus,” Bill shrugged. “We’d survive the walk.” 

“Bill, shut the fuck up; Eddie’s car is warm and I won’t be having you mess that up for me,” Stan hissed, pulling Bill back down from where he’d jokingly been reaching out for the door handle. He’d almost grabbed it too, fingers just barely grazing the metal finish. 

Bill started laughing again and let himself be pulled all but flush against Stan willingly. He gave Stan a soft look while he was catching his breath and Eddie wondered if there had been more than he could interpret in the dark going on. Eddie could see where Stan was coming from though; he was always the first to be breaking out his sweaters and even now was wrapped up in a navy turtleneck. Not that he was actually going to kick them out of his car... 

Richie on the other hand had been beaming and would probably be glowing if that was physically possible for him to do. It was sort of pissing Eddie off that he couldn’t really shoot down his argument that cereal and oatmeal were soups, even if it was just on a technicality. 

English sucked ass, Eddie decided. It was a shitty language with garbage definitions that made no sense. 

Eddie wasn’t entirely sure why Richie even insisted on going with them for the drive. It’s not like he was planning to make any extra stops considering that it was nearing midnight and the only reason that he wasn’t freaking out over that was because he happened to have noon classes tomorrow. Still it felt wrong to just tell Richie 'no' over the matter, he probably got bored of being alone in Eddie’s apartment quickly- something that Eddie could relate to even though it was his apartment. 

He noticed that Stan ended up pocketing Bill’s phone when they had finally managed to get to the dorms. Richie seemed to notice as well given the gleeful way he tugged at his sleeve and verbally pointed it out. Eddie didn’t see what the big deal was but knew that if he was going to trust his phone with one of his friends it would probably be Stan; Bill was just too reckless. 

Richie was giving him a disappointed look when Eddie didn’t have much of a reaction aside from a gentle shrug. “Eds, they totally have the hots for each other,” he explained deadpan. 

Eddie blinked and stiffened up, Richie had only known them for less than half a day and surely he would know his own friends well enough to pick up on something like that... “I doubt that,” he said but was now reanalyzing every exchange that happened. It actually was making a bit of sense and that was interesting to say the least. 

Maybe he should pay more attention to his friends... 

“So is that like a floorcest situation or...?” 

Eddie blinked and was grateful that he’d already been braking for a stop sign. “Floorcest?” he inquired wearily. 

“You know, like do they live on the same floor or is this a dorm acceptable relationship?” Richie asked shuffling to be closer to Eddie, all but leaning into his over the center console- there was absolutely no way that was comfortable by the way. 

“They’re roommates, if that’s what you’re asking,” Eddie answered slowly connecting Richie’s logic and hating that it made sense in a way. If they'd lived on different floors and it didn't go well, at least then they'd only see each other occasionally; whereas on the same floor they'd constantly have to deal with each other.

“Oh my god, they were roommates,” Richie said breathily, and Eddie wanted to pull over to strangle him, but only a little bit. 

“Can we not discuss our friends love lives?” he asked exasperated. 

“Our?” Richie perked up. “You think they’d want to hang out again?” 

“I don’t see why not?” Eddie glanced over at him curiously. “You guys seemed to get along well; even Stan who doesn’t warm up that quickly to anyone except maybe Bill...” 

“They so are going to bang eventually,” Richie brought up again, causing Eddie to groan loudly wishing for a change in conversation. 

“I’m still not above kicking you out of my car,” Eddie seethed. 

“But I’m still welcomed into the apartment right?” Richie asked nonchalantly. 

“If you can find your way back.” 

“Okay point taken,” Richie deflated. 

Eddie didn’t even have time to feel guilt for making Richie look like that because he was already sitting up excitedly looking from out the window somewhere to Eddie gleefully, a manic twinkle in his eyes. 

“What?” he asked not liking where this was going. 

“Will you take me to get chicken nuggets?” Richie asked looking at him with wide expectant eyes. 

Eddie’s skin crawled when he finally connected it all back to the golden arches in the distance. His stomach twisted up in knots just thinking about what could possibly go into the food there, not to mention the scolding he would get if Myra or heaven forbid, his mother found out. 

“Do you even realize how unhealthy that is?” he asked defensively. 

Richie whined, lips pushing out in a pout that was pulling at his heart strings. “Please?” 

Eddie chewed his cheek, “You don’t even know what the sanitary conditions are,” he countered already weakening on his stance. 

“C’mon Eds, we haven’t eaten yet; let’s live a little dangerously,” Richie begged pushing his lip out further. 

Fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, my finals are going to be so messy next week! =w=""  
Good luck and best wishes to my fellow students who have/will be taking finals this semester!!


	8. Mickey D's and docs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie's weak and caves.

He knew he was royally screwed at that face. Besides one junk meal wasn’t going to ruin his diet and it’s not like Richie was going to tell on him. “Just this once,” he caved, not looking at Richie because of his own embarrassment for giving in so easily. 

Richie cheered happily and couldn’t seem to sit still in his seat the entire drive to McDonalds and Eddie had half a mind to just drive by because he was being so unabashed by it. He wasn’t sure he’d survive Richie being disappointed in him though, maybe when they became closer... 

Eddie refused to go inside and immediately drove into the drive-thru. It was sort of late so no one was there right away to take orders. Richie took this time to lean in and give Eddie a proper hug as thanks. 

A thrill went through Eddie and he didn’t pick up a single word of Richie’s enthusiastic thanks. 

Tentatively, Eddie leaned into it and reciprocated- his head going as far and tucking into the space of Richie’s neck. 

He could feel a shiver rack through Richie’s body and he slowly pulled away flustered. Richie was beaming and excitedly kissed his cheek, over exaggerating the moment to a gross amount. Eddie was grateful to hear static on the other end of the speaker and shoved Richie away giving him a grimace in response to the affection. 

Richie was stifling giggles the entire time Eddie was ordering and he reached over halfway through to slap him in a failed attempt to stop him. He ended up ordering himself a couple burgers because he was already this far and there wasn’t going to be time to cook a proper meal anyways. 

“We aren’t eating in my car,” Eddie tells him bluntly as he’s pulling up to the next window to pay. 

Richie groans exasperated at that, “It’s only good when it’s fresh though!” 

“I’m already ruining my diet; we are not getting crumbs in my car too.” 

“You’re on a diet,” Richie marveled, latching onto this new piece of information. 

“Was,” Eddie corrected, not even regretting what he was about to do. He actually felt rebellious and kind of liked the harmless thrill it was giving him. 

“I’m so proud of you,” he grinned, causing Eddie’s heart to skip a beat- but only because he wasn’t used to being praised over small stupid, trivial things. 

Richie even managed to wait until they are safely locked back in Eddie’s apartment before ravenously chowing down on his chicken nuggets; Eddie had bought him two boxes just to make sure that he wouldn’t go hungry. He pulled Eddie into the living room against his protests that he had kitchen stools and a table for a reason. 

“Let’s have a movie night!” he exclaimed, draping himself over Eddie to steal some of his fries. 

“I have classes tomorrow you dickweed,” Eddie informed him dully. 

“Live a little!” Richie suggested sweetly, horns and tail appearing in small bursts of smoke looking the entire part of a tempter. 

Eddie was so weak. 

“Only until I’m done with my burger,” he caved again. 

Richie preened and draped himself further into Eddie’s space not even trying to hide that he was eating Eddie’s fries. 

“There’s more food in the kitchen,” Eddie scolded taking his fries back. “Go get a muffin or something.” 

He pouted but complied getting up and returning with what seemed to be half of a chocolate muffin ripped off the whole. Eddie wasn’t sure if he actually cared about his fries being eaten but now he had to eat them out of principle. 

They ate in the relative silence of the alien documentary Richie insisted they watch. Now that Eddie didn’t have any food left to distract him, he found himself openly looking at Richie’s unique features not just his sharp cheekbones but also the peculiar horns that perched in his hair. 

“Can I touch them?” he’s asked before he knows what he’s doing. His jaw snapped shut when he realized that he managed to ask that out loud, his eyes wide. 

Richie looked nervous and more than a bit flustered but nodded meekly, leaning down to give Eddie full access to his horns which he’d been staring at. 

Eddie’s hands shook a bit as the gravity hit him that this was happening. He wasn’t sure if this was as big a deal as he felt it was; Eddie wasn’t really one to initiate contact often though so maybe this was just major to him. He almost paused to ask if it really was alright but he had a feeling that Richie would take personal offensive and retract his offer. 

His fingers grazed the warm smooth surface of Richie’s horns and Richie, honest to god, whimpered. 

Eddie locked up and held completely still, pulse racing in his ears. 

“Richie?” he asked whisper soft, “Are you okay?” 

Richie nodded, his breath tickling Eddie’s neck from the position they found themselves in; Richie was basically on top of him at this point. “Yeah,” he said back, voice thick but equally soft. He tilted his head to look at Eddie, oddly fragile in a way. “No one’s every really asked to just touch them like this?” 

Oh. 

...Oh? Eddie had no idea what to take from that especially when a rather flattering blush had settled on Richie, accenting his cheekbones. Eddie absently ghosted his finger along one, not quite touching and also completely unaware that he seemingly had no self-control. Richie didn’t seem to mind though, or at least he didn’t say anything about it. 

“You can keep going,” Richie offered. 

“Okay,” he breathed, fingers moving back to the glossy horns. Richie hummed contented and slowly eased him back to lay on the couch. Eddie decided not to linger on having Richie laying on his chest too much. Well about as much as someone could when they had another person constricting their breathing to an extent. 

“Is this okay?” Richie asked, looking up at him with his wide insecure expressive eyes. 

“It’s nice,” Eddie agreed hands moving past the horns and tangling gently into his hair. Richie smiled and leaned into the touch and Eddie was struck with the realization that he’d never been this close to anyone before, not with this context. Bill and Stan had both draped themselves over him and on some occasions fallen asleep but neither of them left Eddie so confused. 

He’d never run his fingers through their hair so mindlessly before for one thing. 

There was one time that they’d tried to straighten Stan’s hair with a straightener but that was not at all as tender a moment. Eddie could remember cussing up a storm because no matter how hard they worked at it, it refused to become anything other than mildly wavy. At least Bill had been the one who actually burned a chunk of the hair off; Eddie was fairly sure that Stan never forgave him for that. 

Richie laid his head down, turned to focus on the documentary. Eddie was hit again with how sickeningly domestic this was and that he really didn’t mind it at all. He was enjoying closeness just as much as Richie, not that he would ever be able to openly admit it. 

This was something that he should be doing with Myra but when he tried to picture what that would be like it made him feel a mild sense of dread. He was imagining it would be more of a chore than anything, not that Myra would probably enjoy it. She was always quite particular about affections in a way that Eddie wasn’t. They were opposites on that standpoint, she liked to publicly make everyone know they were dating but as soon as they were behind closed doors there had to be a foot of space between them. 

Eddie couldn’t even complain about that because Myra wasn’t all that fun to be around. He was well aware that his friends were correct about pretty much every jab they made about her. The main reason he’d started to date her was to get his mother off his back, plus she seemed like the safest option. He hadn’t expected them to stay together so long, that she would pretty much make it so that he wasn’t able to easily break things off. Now things were too messy and complex, so much so that Eddie went as far as try to summon a succubus. 

Arguably the best idea that he’s had all year. 

Richie shuffled blindly, stilling Eddie’s hands consequently. He caught a hold of a blanket and sloppily pulled it over them. Eddie managed to catch sight of the horribly awkward way Richie was laid out, lanky legs sticking out over the top of the couch’s arm. 

“Are you even comfortable?” he resumed his petting. 

“’t’s not bad,” Richie slurred against his shirt. 

Eddie hummed satisfied enough with that answer, reaching out and adjusting the blanket to drape over them a little better- although really is wasn’t that much different since he’d been pinned under Richie. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that he should be going to his actual bed but he was far too comfortable to make Richie let him up now. Plus his bed wouldn’t be this warm...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does it still count as a slow burn if I throw in a ton of couple-y fluff??  
Asking for a friend. ^^;;


	9. Morning messes and ??

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things happen and breakfast is made.

He must have fallen asleep because the next thing Eddie knew was that he was waking up practically with a mouth full of hair. Richie had shuffled over and nearly pushed him off the couch; he’d likely be on the floor if his arms hadn’t been wrapped firmly around his torso. Eddie would probably be having a heart attack if he’d been more awake but all he could think right now was that this was nice. Waking up with Richie snoring and even drooling a bit against his chest was not something he expected to like, he was positive that he would never find having someone drool on him pleasant.   
Well...   
Here he was; being drooled on and not recoiling from disgust.   
Eddie wasn’t even thinking of pushing him away, if anything it was the opposite. He wanted to give in and go back to sleep pulling Richie closer to him.  
Just as he’s about to start drifting off again, there was a hurried knocking on his door. Richie starts stirring against him at that and Eddie silently curses whoever is at his door.  
“Let’s just ignore it,” Eddie’s whispering just as someone starts unlocking his door. His heart stops at the sound and he’s off Rich in a hurry.   
There’s only person who would stop by unannounced and also knew where he kept the spare key.   
It was Myra, who had no sense of boundaries when it came to him and his personal life. He was still surprised that she hadn’t barged in that first day when she’d met Richie. For all he knew that was his requests for more normalcy being answered and then immediately shot down because the one time she listened something had _actually _ been happening behind the closed door.  
Richie’s whining at him as Eddie’s rushing to fix his hair and trying to salvage his wrinkled shirt.   
“Shut up,” he hissed quietly, “Myra’s here.”  
“Hey Myra, what’s going on?” Eddie asked, jumping over the couch like a mad man and dashing towards the entry.  
He took in the sight of his girlfriend and tried not to worry about the fact that he’d left Richie on the couch and had no reasonable explanation for him being there.  
“I thought it might be nice to make brunch together?” she asked sweetly. “My class was cancelled and I’m not sure if you’ve eaten yet.” Already she was looking at his clothes appraisingly, likely fully aware of the fact that he’d just woken up a few minutes ago.  
“Oh sure, that sounds really nice,” Eddie said mildly, praying that Richie had vacated to somewhere Myra wouldn’t be seeing him.  
Richie must have picked up on Eddie’s nerves and the gravity of the situation because between the time that he reached the door to greet Myra properly and get back, Richie’s out of the room. Eddie wished he could go hide from her too, which was _ definitely not _ good boyfriend behavior.   
Eddie will have to make sure to scold himself for that later though because, Myra is currently sneering at the mess of blankets left half on the couch and half on the floor. She’d been carrying a couple grocery bags before she’d caught sight of his living room while in passing. Her face is pinched up like she’d just eaten a lemon and he already knew that he was going to be nagged.  
“Eddie-kins you know that sleeping on the couch will ruin your back,” she started in on him, momentarily forgetting the bags in her hands. Eddie chose to tune her out for once in his life. He was being a really shitty boyfriend, but this was only going to be a one-time thing and then he would go back to loving her.  
He had to love her somewhere deep down right?   
There was no way that he was just doing this for self-preservation, no matter how their relationship had started. No, surely he had grown to love her- that's the whole reason he’d gone through all the trouble of going through a bizarre ritual that shouldn’t have even worked just to learn how to properly woo her. He _ loved _ her. He had to.  
Myra didn’t wait for Eddie to react to her scoldings and moved to properly set the bags down onto the kitchen counter. Eddie followed her feeling a bit like a ghost in his own apartment, not something that was new when it came to Myra being here.  
“Do you mind if we make extra, so that I can eat the leftovers before my evening class?” Eddie asked, a perfect picture of innocence.  
Myra beamed proudly at him and nodded enthusiastically. “Of course, I’d love for everyone to know what a good couple we are!”  
Eddie’s skin crawled a bit, but he managed to smile back, “I’ll be sure to tell everyone that we made it together then.” He already knew that he was planning on giving the extras to Richie since he was subjecting him to having to hide from his girlfriend.  
She caught sight of the half-eaten chocolate muffin and Eddie wanted to scream a bit, at least they’d thrown out all the fast food wrappers properly. Eddie had also managed to take that out to the trash chute despite Richie’s jabs and jokes that he was overreacting about it, even though there had been a couple still tucked away in the living room waste basket. (He just prayed that Myra wouldn’t want to sit in there.)  
“I thought that you hadn’t eaten?” Myra asked looking at him with firm disappointment.  
“That’s from studying late last night,” Eddie covered up, “I must have forgotten to put it in a ziploc.” He took the muffin and dropped it in the trash, “There all taken care of.” Eddie hoped his smile didn’t look as forced as it felt.  
“Snacking after dinner really isn’t good for you either,” she started in on another rant. Okay, so maybe it would just be a two-time thing... But this was the last time!  
Myra was giving him that disappointed look for the majority of the time they’d spent cooking and honestly Eddie felt like he deserved it a bit. He had been ignoring her more than usual and even straight up didn’t listen to her while she was ranting about his mistakes. Granted this time the things she was upset over weren’t even because of something he did... well aside from sleeping on the couch because that did happen.  
Eddie had almost burned himself because he’d been too distracted thinking about last night. He was well aware that was going to be a problem if he kept thinking about Richie when he should be working but that shouldn’t be an issue after Myra left. So they’d fallen asleep together one time, it wasn’t a big deal- he'd slept in the same bed as all his friends at some point.  
Only that he’d never woken up with one of his friends cuddled so completely to his side, never had one of them drooling on his chest, never felt...  
Eddie cut that line of thought off before it could even take root and cause a bigger issue. He had Myra to worry about anyways. She was supposed to be one of his bigger priorities, being his girlfriend and all that. He wasn’t planning on having to hide a mild breakdown from anyone this morning but here he was, eating eggs and idly chatting with Myra.   
It probably wouldn’t have been so bad if he hadn’t been thinking of Richie being hidden away the entire time. Hopefully he picked somewhere that wasn’t too boring to hide, considering an hour had gone by. He probably wasn’t stupid enough to lock himself in the bathroom, or at least if he had been then he likely would have switched hiding spots early on.  
Myra checked her phone and tutted distastefully. “Sorry, Eddie-bear, but I have to be going,” she was already getting up to clear her dishes. “Don’t leave the dishes to sit or they’ll get crusty and also remember to take your medications,” she pecked him on the cheek, picking up her coat and walking out the door before Eddie could mumble more than an ‘alright’ and an ‘I’ll see you later.’  
He let his shoulders drop out of their perfect posture and allowed himself a moment to breathe. Richie was already peeking his head out from the hallway before deciding the coast was clear and taking Myra’s spot at the counter.  
“Quite the woman you’ve got there,” he hummed conversationally.  
Eddie sighed and nodded. “I think breakfast is still warm, please help yourself,” he offered not really in the mood to discuss Myra. He never really seemed to be in the mood to talk about her though, which was part of his initial problem.   
How was he supposed to save a relationship that he wasn’t even sure was worth saving?  
Richie squeezed his arm gratefully and wondered into the kitchen, “You’re a good man, Eds.”  
“Stop with the nickname!” Eddie quipped after him angrily but a small smile on his face. Richie just being around was already making his day better and he wasn’t sure if he was upset by the realization.   
He liked Richie, which was good because they were roommates. Eddie would even go as far as considering them friends which wasn’t something he had a lot of.  
“Maybe when you stop being so cute,” Richie teased, shoveling a fork full of eggs into his mouth.  
“I’m not cute!” he denied immediately, crossing his arms and refusing to admit to himself that he was blushing (just a bit).  
Richie gave him a look and gave him a once over, “Nope, not true and the denial just proves it more.”  
Eddie groaned and shoulder checked him in lieu of a response to that. He should be annoyed with him and he was... just not in the way that he should have been.  
“I have to get ready for class,” Eddie said getting up to leave before he let it get awkward.  
Richie looked like he was frowning a bit but that also could have just been his chewing face since there was a strip of bacon still hanging from his lips.  
He rinsed his plate off and then quickly left, absolutely not thinking about that piece of bacon and how it made Richie’s lips shiny.   
Nope, definitely not.   
Eddie was a perfectly happy _ straight _ man with a steady girlfriend and that’s how things had to be. He was not going to hurt his picture-perfect life.  
Eddie pressed the heel of his palms against his closed eyes and leaned back against his closed door feeling weak and overwhelmed. He took a couple steadying breaths and then got dressed properly for the day. This was fine.  
He would make it fine. Eddie would continue to date Myra and love her. He was just going through a bit of a rough patch, but they’d get through it alright. His mother had sent him her old ring after all. He could marry Myra.  
Except that the thought of that had left an acidic pit in his stomach since his mother first started telling him to propose already. She had the whole thing practically planned out already so all he had to do was get down on his knee and pop the question. Myra would be thrilled since most of her classmates were already starting to settle down and talk about having kids.  
Eddie only felt dread at that; for god’s sake he was only just about to get his bachelor's degree next year. They weren’t even in their thirties yet! He’d only just started being able to drink legally. Eddie was starting to spiral dangerously and he knew it.  
Realistically he knew he should tell _ someone _ about the ring but he couldn’t bear to come clean to his friends that _ that _ was the real reason he was so desperate to learn how to be happy with Myra or at least how to keep her happy; that he’d been banking on learning to really enjoy spending time with her if only someone would teach him what that was supposed to feel like- what that was supposed to look like.  
He felt sick and wished he could choose to stay home. Eddie was an adult so obviously he could but that wouldn’t be a smart choice and he was be really hurting at midterms if he didn’t go. He couldn’t bring himself to willingly stay home if he wasn’t physically sick and he already knew that he was going to that damn class. Besides it would be a good distraction and then afterwards he could forget about it and go back to normal.  
Eddie didn’t have much time to dwell on it any longer but only because Richie was knocking at the door behind his back. “Eds?” he asked softly. “I’m sorry I called you cute; you’re actually just too manly for me to handle.”  
He could practically hear the smile forming on Richie’s face at that last bit. Eddie sighed fondly and wished that his heart wasn’t doing all kinds of weird things in his chest.   
“Shut up, I’m not even mad about that,” he said exasperated. Eddie wished that he wasn’t smiling so easily at Richie’s stupid concern. He wished a lot of things right now but pushed it all down and opened the door.   
“Move out of the way, I need to get dressed, Stupid,” he said fondly, pushing him to the side a bit when he didn’t immediately move out of the way when Eddie came out of his room.  
“Stupid,” Richie mused, stepping out of his way. “I could get used to that one.”  
The fact that he seemed completely serious about it worried Eddie a bit. “You’ve got such a trash mouth sometimes,” he sighed squeezing his shoulder in a moment of weakness. “Spewing out the shittiest stuff.”  
“Oh! Now that one has a ring to it,” he purred trailing after Eddie to continue talking. “Trash mouth, it’s almost romantic in a way,” Richie commented even though it absolutely did not.  
“Whatever, get out of the bathroom, _ Trash mouth _,” Eddie stressed, testing it out on his tongue. It did seem fitting and he could see himself actually using that.   
Trash mouth- it wouldn’t be taken as too friendly by normal standards; it was safe. Eddie liked safe.  
Richie gave a few weak jokes about wanting to watch and asking if Eddie would put on a show if he was good before Eddie had to forcibly pushing him out of the room. He refused to admit that he was a bit amused by the attention.  
He got out of the shower, feeling quite refreshed and with a clearer mind. Eddie checks the time on his watch and decides he has a few spare minutes to watch some news.   
In the living room, Richie is already taking up half the couch and manically tapping on a phone that Eddie is a bit surprised he has. He supposed that he shouldn’t be too shocked, considering this was a technological age; but he can’t help but wonder what it’s like to be a demon. Where does Richie even live?  
He had half a mind to ask Richie about his life but didn’t really have the time for that. Eddie squeezed onto the mostly freed cushion and brought one of his legs up to be more comfortable. “What are you doing?” he asked curiously, paying more attention to what Richie was doing than the tv that wasn’t even on the news to begin with.   
Richie hummed and looked up startled as if he hadn’t even noticed Eddie struggling into the leftover space on the couch. “I’m texting Bev,” he smiled, his tail curling aimlessly around Eddie’s calf.  
Eddie startled a bit at the appendage, mostly because the long fur on the tip tickled his ankle in passing. He quietly reached down and ran his finger along it surprised at how soft it was; Richie must take good care of it.   
Richie made a choked aborted noise in his throat and quickly snatched it away. “Sorry about that, incubi are quite touchy feely with each other,” he grinned nervously, holding his tail and messing with the longer strands. “Old habit.”  
“I really don’t mind,” Eddie shrugged, a little disappointed with the lack of contact.  
Tentatively his tail rewrapped itself around his calf, squeezing a little firmer. Eddie smiled a bit and leaned back into the couch, not caring too much that he was well on his way to being late now. “So what were you talking to Bev about?”  
“Oh, um,” he looked a bit bashful now. “We were making plans to meet up later, is that okay?”  
“Sure?” Eddie asked confused. “I don’t see why not; do you need me to drop you off somewhere?”  
“No, that’s okay,” Richie said, relaxing back into the cushions. “Bev already said she’d come pick me up, can I give her the address?”  
“Yeah that’s fine, um, just don’t give out the apartment number yet?” Eddie wasn’t used to being in this sort of situation. He wasn’t sure if he completely trusted Beverly either, since they’d only met once and there had been drinking involved.  
Richie shyly held out his phone, “We should exchange numbers, right?”  
“Oh, yeah probably,” Eddie smiled, feeling oddly bashful about the whole affair as he gingerly took Richie’s phone and input his info. “Hey, be careful out there okay?”  
Richie’s was grinning again and then he saw the time and his eyes went wide. “Shit! I should have been getting ready like ten minutes ago!” he bemoaned before getting up like a shot and heading towards Eddie’s room, presumably to raid his closet again.  
Eddie sighed and then remembered that he also had places to be. He was definitely going to be more than a little late now but for Richie he didn’t really mind. “Rich! I’ve got to go; I’ll see you later!” he called down the hall a bit awkwardly.  
“See ya’ around Eds!” Richie called back followed by a crash that Eddie wisely decided to ignore. It was strangely pleasing to have someone to say goodbye to in the morning and he left the apartment feeling a little lighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think my finals went well! ^^  
Hopefully... I'm still waiting for grades to be posted but I feel good about it right now.


	10. And so begins the snowballing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some advice and things are pointed out to Eddie.

Eddie was almost sad that he had to be going; Richie had a magnetic hold on him that made him want to stay and see what he’d say next. He was supposed to stop hanging onto Richie’s words but that’s why he was going to class- to forget... 

Which was going to be really hard to do now that Richie had his phone number and was texting him to wish him luck in his classes and to have a good day. Eddie found himself daydreaming a bit about Richie and had to snap himself out of it a few times. 

He had to reteach himself that he wasn’t at all interested in boys like that. Eddie didn’t like dirty things after all; he’d been raised better than that. 

Normally Eddie really enjoyed his programming classes, they allowed him to obsess over perfection to his heart's content and even rewarded him a bit for his stickler actions. Today everything just seemed to be going wrong though, he couldn’t get his stupid code to print out the hangman game required for his assignment. He knew that he should take a second to cool down before he got too angry with it but couldn’t bring himself to do so. 

This was supposed to be a welcomed distraction but now it was just adding onto the things that were stressing him out and Eddie was ready to scream. Even now Richie managed to sneak his way into his thoughts because he could just imagine that he would enjoy seeing this side of him, all stressed out and cheeks flushed. Eddie held onto the thoughts and let them lead him back to a more manageable level of annoyance for his code. He’d even managed to catch what was wrong and wanted to slap himself for missing something as simple as using ‘==’ with strings instead of ‘.equals’. 

Eddie frowned and started the process of changing all the instances and tested his code again. He almost cried when the letters were working in the way that he wanted them to. Three hours. Three whole hours he’d stayed and kept changing little pieces with no outward changes and finally, finally he felt accomplished. 

Accomplished but also a little dumb for not just caving and asking someone else to review his code, but that didn’t matter now. Eddie folded his arms on the table and sank his head on top of them, allowing himself this satisfied moment to breathe and feel content, allowing his programming high to carry him. This was why he chose to dual major with mechanical engineering because programming was addictive in its own right. 

Don’t get him wrong, working in the shop and man handling pieces into place to weld was also immensely gratifying but when he combined it with what he was learning in engineering he came up with quite a few concepts that he was excited to try out, just to see if he could. 

Now that he was finished with his program assignment, he had a couple hours to kill before his last class. He really wished that he wasn’t so confused about his relationships and decided that he can’t figure out this all by himself. Eddie knows that Stan has class for a while longer but texts him to meet up after his class because he doesn’t trust Bill to be able to keep secrets; he loves the guy but knows that he’s an open book. 

He has free time still and decided to go talk to Mike because having an impartial person’s opinions couldn’t hurt, besides Bill trusts him and that means a lot to Eddie. As he was walking, Eddie got a text back from Stan which he knew meant that his friend isn’t paying attention in his class. He should scold him for that but he’s had enough of that for today and it really isn’t his problem. Stan agreed to meet with him at the library which made things much easier, considering that that’s where he was already going to see Mike. 

It isn’t even hard to find the library assistant; Eddie didn’t even have to start looking because Mike had approached him first. 

“Hey, Eddie, how’s the writing project coming along?” he asked, hip checking him as he passed by with a couple books to re-shelf. 

He was a bit confused before he remembered that he sort of lied about why he needed that demon summoning book. 

“About that,” Eddie started sheepishly. “Do you have some time to talk?” 

Mike looked over interested and glanced back at the cart of returned books. “I just got in; but sure, sounds better than work,” he smiled cheekily. 

“I hope you can give good advice then,” Eddie grinned back. 

Mike listened to Eddie pretty much spill his whole life story, well all of the stuff about Myra and the events leading up to Richie anyways. He asked questions to clarify every now and then and Eddie found that he was really easy to talk to. Especially considering that he was already telling him a ton of really personal details that he probably shouldn’t be. 

He waited patiently for Eddie to finish up or take a moment to catch his breath before he told him his opinions on what was said so far. “It’s an interesting plot, I’ll give you that,” Mike started off. “That Myra character sounds like a piece of work and I’d be curious to know what toxic thing she’s based off of.” He looked thoughtful before he voiced a question, “Is this a personal symbolic narrative sort of thing?” 

Eddie deflated a bit realizing that Mike thought this whole thing was part of a made-up writing assignment, he guessed that was fair. 

“Something like that,” he settled on before he decided that this wasn’t really a bad position to be in. It meant that he could get a less shocked insight on his current arrangements with Richie and he wouldn’t even need to worry about leaving the supernatural element out of it. 

He was trying not to think too much about how Mike had already decided he didn’t like Myra and how his thoughts on it was a pretty good depiction of an abusive relationship. Mike had been really nice about it and asked if Eddie had an abusive past that inspired it and he fumbled around that saying he didn’t. Surely, he didn’t because every relationship he’d seen had been like this. His mom told him this was fine and, yeah she’d lied about him needing medications, but she wouldn’t lie about this. She just wanted him to be happy and healthy. 

Right when he’s about to start spilling his feelings about what happened this morning, Stan catches his peripheral vision looking a little wind swept but otherwise like he can dole out some solid advice. Eddie waited for him to notice them before he waved him over to come join the conversation. He hadn’t even noticed that so much time had passed but it worked out well enough because now he only had to tell the rest of the story once. (Stan already had the earlier parts anyways.) 

Stan sits down and glances at Mike intrigued. “Hey, Eddie, what’s going on?” he asked Eddie but was still very much focused on Mike for the time being. 

“Stan, this is Mike; he’s the library assistant,” he started with introductions just to get it over with. “Mike, this is my friend Stan.” 

They both nodded at each other acknowledging and exchanged a brief handshake before Stan focused back on Eddie, prompting him to continue with a raised eyebrow. 

“Since Stan already knows all that other stuff, I guess I’ll just get on with what just happened,” Eddie started up again. “So, Myra came over this morning while I was asleep on the couch with Richie,” he said wanting to get it over with, like ripping a band aid off in a way. 

Stan held up his hand immediately halting Eddie’s stream of words. “Wait, you told Mike about your girlfriend?” he asked seemingly just glossing over the fact that he’d been sleeping with Richie on his couch. 

Mike made a confused shocked noise and looked at Stan with wide eyes. “Myra’s an actual person?” 

“Yeah?” Stan asked now equally confused. 

“Crap,” Mike utters softly. “I’m sorry, I thought this was still about your writing project,” he apologized to Eddie as if any of the stuff about Richie didn’t sound mental now that he knew that it was real. 

“No, that’s my fault for not correcting you,” Eddie admitted awkwardly. “Uh, there never was a writing project.” 

Mike looked even more bewildered but nodded gentle before slowly asking, “So all the stuff with Richie?” 

“It’s true,” Eddie said firmly. 

Stan nodded when Mike looked at him for confirmation. He doesn’t look anymore at ease with that, but seemed to accept Stan’s nonverbal opinion. “Okay, um, go on I guess,” Mike said looking a little more concerned with that new tidbit of information. 

Eddie felt less at ease now that he had both Stan and Mike watching him with growing worry as Eddie continued to tell them about his intrusive thoughts about Richie and how he was scared that his relationship was a stake. He still wasn’t telling anyone about the ring and he decided that was a good call considering how horrified they both looked without that bit. 

“Eddie,” Stan started gently, eyes looking soft and almost oozing with pity. “It’s okay to like boys.” 

Eddie’s skin crawled at the acquisition and he was proud for not exploding on his friend. 

“I’m not gay,” he said firmly because he had a girlfriend, who he was very happy with. 

“I’m not saying you are,” Stan told him. “Maybe you should spend a little bit of time and consider what you want though and not what Myra would want.” 

“It takes two for a relationship to work,” Mike added sagely. 

Eddie was disappointed with what they were telling him advice wise but didn’t really have time to sit and listen since he had to start walking to his class or risk being late. 

“I have to go,” he told them, gathering up his things abruptly. 

“You should look at some of the other couples while you're out,” Mike offered as he was leaving. “It might help you work somethings out.” 

Eddie sighed and nodded, that was probably the best advice he’d be getting and really that wasn’t too bad; maybe he could pick up something that would make it so that Myra would like him better. 

He checked his phone as he was walking and had to stop at the selfie Richie had sent him. Richie was holding up a guitar next to his winking face and his tongue was playfully sticking out, to say Eddie was caught off guard was an understatement. He hadn’t even realized Richie could play and had texted him just that. 

His next class passed by pretty fast, not that Eddie had really been paying too much attention to the lecture. He had been halfheartedly been taking notes, but now that he was quickly reviewing them, he could see that most of them were just doodles and the occasional bullet point that didn’t make any sense now. Eddie would have to get a copy of someone else’s notes, but he wasn’t bothered so much by that as he usually would be. 

What he did happen to notice was the lack of Myra’s presence in his doodles. 

All his friends were there, Richie more often than anyone else, but even Mike had been included in a couple of them. Hidden in the margin of one of the pages was a small heart sort of close to one of the sloppy Richie drawings, Eddie’s heart almost stops but then he realized that they really weren’t _that_ close. It didn’t even mean anything; Richie was only the most common sketched thing because they lived together right now. 

Eddie sighed and pulled his phone out to ask Richie if he needed a ride home. Richie had responded to his earlier message with neither a confirmation nor a denial, just a winking emoticon. He had a feeling that he would probably be finding out rather quickly if Richie actually knew how to play or if he was just starting to learn. 

Richie, thankfully, got back to him quickly saying that Bev was just finishing up dropping him at the apartment building. 

Eddie smiled a bit and texted him the location of the spare key, even going as far as to tell him to just hold on to it since he was going to be staying with him anyways. It would just be easier on both of them if Richie had a house key of his own, he didn’t need his spare keys location to be exposed so often after all. Not that it wasn’t like Myra already exposed it enough as it was... He should probably have a replacement made before she decided to surprise visit him in his apartment again. 

His mood soured a bit when his phone went off from the exact person he really didn’t feel like talking to right now. Myra was asking him about his medications and just generally checking up on him and he knew it, but it felt more controlling since he’d spoken to Mike and Stan. Eddie didn’t really feel the need to keep taking those unnecessary prescriptions. He was still picking up the same sugar pills that his mother gave him as a child because Myra had insisted that he really need them and seemed almost terrified that he’d stopped taking them when he told her they were placebos. 

Eddie texted her back that he had before he finally started driving back home. 

He got inside and found Richie sat on the couch strumming a guitar with the tv off. Eddie felt a little more at ease, even if it was just mindless plucking of notes, he didn’t mind it too much. It was nice to come home to some noise and another person. 

“So you do play,” Eddie said casually, leaning over the back of the couch to get a bit of a look at the old, slightly scuffed up instrument. 

Richie hummed and didn’t really stop his playing as he looked at Eddie almost fondly. “Bev asked me if I wanted to be in her band after I played a bit for her,” he said gleefully. 

“You’re in a band now?” Eddie asked, smiling and very confused with the development. He was oddly proud of Richie because that’s what roommates did for each other even if it had only been a few days. 

“Yeah and my new band mates are so cool!” Richie started gushing excitedly. 

Eddie was grinning now because his enthusiasm was contagious. “Come help me cook dinner and tell me all about it,” he told him more than willing to let Richie’s day distract him from what he was supposed to be dwelling on. 

Cooking with Richie went much smoother than Eddie had thought it would; they actually worked well together in the kitchen. There had been a few instances were Richie would ask Eddie to add some insane ingredient to his recipe "for the adventure", but he always backed down pretty easily after Eddie’s reactions and some chiding. Overall it was a good time and Eddie liked the company even when they were getting in each other’s way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...So I might have included that java bit because I did that same thing in my programming class but shhh... Write what you know and all that jazz. ^^;;


	11. Pancakes and jealous feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quiet morning in is had for the boys.

It didn’t take long for Eddie to know that he wouldn’t be sleeping easy that night after he retired for the evening. He laid in the dark and stared up at his ceiling trying to will sleep to come to him. It didn’t work in the slightest considering that now there was nothing to keep him from thinking about his relationship problems and even Stan’s words from earlier. 

He still had a wedding ring in his bedside table that he really wished he didn’t have. It had been there for less than a week and already it was tearing his life apart and slowly eating away at his peace of mind. Eddie wondered if it was too late to move somewhere far away and only tell his friends where he was going. At least then it would be much harder for his mom to interfere in his personal matters; maybe then he could reconsider his views of himself safely. 

Eddie let himself admit, just to himself in the dark of his bedroom, that maybe he wasn’t straight; or at least not as much as he told people he was. It felt a little too taboo even if no one else knew that he was starting to question what he’d been raised to believe. He was an adult now, it’s not like his mom could threaten to take things away from or send him away, which was comforting against the dread he felt even just considering the matter. 

He slept fitfully and even managed to startle himself awake only a few hours after he’d fallen asleep. 

Eddie, feeling more than a little rattled from his night terror, got up to get some water and to hopefully calm his racing pulse. 

Richie was sleeping peacefully with the blankets wrapped at his feet again and Eddie stopped to admire him for a moment. He was beautiful in a way that made Eddie’s chest ache and bleed. If he had been a stronger person when he was younger than maybe he would have stood up to his mother instead of accepting things just to keep privileges. He would never tell Bill, but their friendship was the first thing that she was threatening to take from him when he was starting to show interest in romance. Eddie wasn’t aware on the surface of why that was, but he was sure it would have been clear to anyone on the outside if his mother had been so quick to try and cut it off. 

Eddie didn’t feel like puzzling out the reasons his mother did what she did, so he righted the blankets and finally got his glass of water. He sipped it slowly and then went back to bed feeling more normal than he had all day. 

He wakes up to the smell of something cooking and it make his fight or flight reflex go off. Eddie jolts up in his bed and has to remind himself that Richie has the spare key, meaning that no one could have gotten in that way. It was probably just Richie and not anything else he had originally worried over. He calmed down a bit and got out of bed, leaving it unmade for the time being. 

Richie’s stood by the stove, humming cheerfully as he flipped a pancake. Eddie smiled at the sight and went over to watch him work. He absently leans into his side because he’s still exhausted from his lack of sleep. Richie stiffened over the contact but doesn’t comment or push Eddie away, so he took that as an okay. 

Eddie yawned and checked the time, knowing that he had a mid morning class. He really can’t stay long but he wished that he could just stay and lazily spend the whole day on the couch with Richie, maybe he could have stroked his hair.... 

“I have a morning class,” he said after forcibly shaking himself from his daydream. 

“Can you at least stay and eat breakfast with me?” Richie asked, glancing at Eddie. 

“Course, Rich,” he smiled fondly, “thanks for cooking.” 

Richie’s tail curled around his calf again and Eddie sighed contentedly. “You should go get ready so we can spend more time together before you leave then,” he told Eddie softly, a bit of color on his cheeks. 

Eddie made a half whine but reluctantly pulled himself away and quietly obeyed. He did just so happen to only take about half the time he usually spent getting ready but that was only coincidental. Richie was finishing up when Eddie came back into the kitchen and there was a small splattering of batter on his cheek for some reason. 

He quietly reached up into Richie’s space and wiped it away. “You had some batter on your face,” Eddie explained when he looked at him surprised. 

“Oh, of course,” Richie fumbled, “thanks.” 

Eddie nodded and plopped himself down at the kitchen counter, more than happy to just watch Richie finish up by himself. He still had batter on his fingers and against his better judgement he chose to lick it off, working overtime to remind himself that his chances of salmonella from this were very low. People did things like that all the time after all and it was good for him to get out of his comfort zone a bit- not that he was about to make a habit of eating raw batters any time soon. 

Richie set a plate of pancakes in front of him proudly, “Eat up, Spageds, I’ve been told that I’m quite the pancake master.” 

“’Spageds’ really?” Eddie asked inquisitively raising his eyebrow at him. 

“What can I say, I’m also a master of nicknames,” Richie grinned, dousing his pancakes in syrup. 

“You’re going to be a master of health problems if you keep eating like that,” Eddie told him unamused, grabbing the bottle from Richie. Their fingers grazed in the process (but that did not affect him at all) and he poured a much more acceptable amount onto his own pancakes. 

Richie hummed delightedly around a mouthful of pancake and casually bumped his foot against Eddie’s, accidentally starting a game of footsie that lasted the entirety of breakfast. 

“So, what are you going to do today?” Eddie asked as he finished the last of what were admittedly some delicious pancakes. 

Richie looked up from scraping the last of his syrup pool onto his fork, “I was thinking of asking Bev to hang out again.” 

“Oh,” Eddie said dumbly, feeling jealousy smart his chest in a way that he really wasn’t used to. He’d been jealous before but it was mostly over little things and it never hurt this much. 

Richie licked the syrup from the fork in a mildly suggestive manner that Eddie wasn’t sure if he was doing intentionally or not, either way it didn’t help put him at ease. “Eds, do you mind bringing me some books?” 

“Uh, sure?” Eddie agreed. “Just some library books?” 

“Yeah, there’s not much else to do here and I sort of skimmed your textbooks to death.” 

Eddie’s wasn’t sure what to make of that admission but knew he didn’t have much else in the light reading area; getting a nice personal library started hadn't been part of his pressing goals once he’d moved out into his own place. He doesn’t have much time to really ask too many questions if he wanted to be on time, so he agreed while on the way to rinse his dishes off. 

He shoved the books he needed for his classes into his bag and was almost out the door when Richie had stopped him. 

“Hey, Eds?” he asked looking down at his feet. 

“Yeah, trash mouth?” Eddie asked in response purposefully using the nickname to get Richie to smile. 

“Could I get a goodbye hug?” Richie asked unsurely. 

“Just-for-the-energy!” he hurriedly tacks onto the end. 

“Um, sure,” Eddie smiled bashfully as he set his bag down and walked back towards him. He wrapped his arms completely around Richie and selfishly rested his head against his shoulder. “Is this good?” 

“Uh-huh,” he nodded dumbly, arms gingerly resting around Eddie’s hips. 

Eddie’s forgotten all about his jealous feelings by the time he’s finally out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yesterday I learned not to put too much on a bookshelf because it definitely will collapse under the weight even if it doesn't look like it will. ^^;;
> 
> Pretty sure my room hasn't been cleaner since I had to rearrange and move everything around though!


	12. Impulsive choices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I finally caved lmao

He actually managed to get to class early, which worked out great because he just so happened to share this class with Bill. Eddie didn’t find Stan’s advice all that helpful and he figured that Bill was the only other person he really wanted to ask, aside from Richie (but he wasn’t an option because he was part of his dilemma). Even if he wasn't Eddie's first choice for secret keeping, he trusted him to keep this one. 

Bill’s usually early for this class because it’s creative writing and he refuses to miss a second of it; so Eddie can already see him when he got into the class. He walked over and took his seat next to Bill, who was furiously typing away on his beat-up laptop. Bill stilled his hands once he noticed Eddie watching him and finished up his paragraph before he closed his laptop. 

“Hey, Eddie,” Bill smiled warmly. “Is something bugging you?” 

Bill was pretty adept at picking up when Eddie was stuck in his head, so it wasn’t that surprising that he knew something was up with him. Plus, he had been intently watching him, which only tended to happen at times like this. 

“It’s about Myra again,” he admitted nervously. 

“You should just break it off already,” Bill told him, frowning a bit. 

Eddie wasn’t even sure why he had expected much else, considering that Bill had made his stance on their relationship crystal clear the first time Eddie came to him with relationship problems. “Everyone’s been telling me that,” he sighed dejectedly and rested his head in his arms, slumping over the desk. 

“That’s probably a sign then,” Bill commented as he pulled his notes out to review. 

He wondered if he should bring up the engagement ring but decided against it. He'd kept it to himself this far, might as well keep going. 

Eddie’s been running on empty the past few days so maybe it is time to break out the supposed expert. He should talk to Richie; this was the whole point on summoning a demon after all... well not _this_ exactly but he couldn’t exactly give Eddie any worse advice. Conversations were the key to healthy relationships after all and he already knew that Myra would likely have a fit if he tried to talk to her about this. 

Eddie spent the rest of his class day going back and forth about whether he should tell Richie and just how much he should tell him if he does. Before he knew it he was heading towards the library to check out some books for him. 

He stood in front of the shelves for quite some time before he finally just texted Richie to ask for some genre options. Richie didn’t give him anything particularly helpful back, so he ends up asking Mike to help him pick out one of the more popular books checked out (that wasn't for a course). Then on a whim he picked out a book of classic fairy tales just because no one could possibly hate those. 

Eddie got home to find Richie wrapped up in his personal blanket again with his guitar. He occasionally played a few notes but was otherwise enraptured by the alien documentary playing on the tv. Eddie’s bag heavily hitting the floor was what drew his attention and he visibly brightened, whether it is from the books handed to him or Eddie is not to be known. 

“How were your classes?” Richie asked setting the guitar carefully on the floor to flick through the books. 

“Fine,” Eddie sighed settling into the couch next to Richie. 

“Hey, so what’s the deal with stealing my blanket anyways?” he asked curiously, fingers reaching out to mess with the corner of the blanket in question. 

Richie blushed all the way to the tips of his ears and stumbled weakly around an actual answer. Eddie’s too mentally exhausted to care at this point and sleepily curled into Richie’s side with the weak personal excuse that it was his blanket anyways. 

“Eds?” Richie stopped mid-ramble. “Are you alright?” 

Eddie grumbled in response and shook his head. 

“No, not really,” he confessed softly. “It’s about Myra.” 

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

“Not really but I should,” Eddie half smiled and reluctantly started to spill his relationship problems. This time he didn’t leave anything out and brought up the ring, which caused Richie to tense up. 

“So now I don’t know what I should do,” Eddie finished just as softly as he started. “Should I marry her for the convenience or...” 

“Eddie,” Richie whispered his hand wrapping surely around him and it’s so jarring to hear his full name that he’s looking up at Richie raptly. “You deserve to be happy, don’t marry her when she makes you hurt like this.” 

His face was twisted up in a pained expression that Eddie wasn’t even sure what to make of. It made him feel weird to have such a powerfully complex face because of him and he had to duck away from the intensity of it. 

“She doesn’t make you happy, does she?” he asked gently. 

Eddie reluctantly admits that, “No, no she does not.” 

He had known that for a long time now and was starting to wonder if they had ever actually been happy at all or if it had just been Eddie lying to himself this whole time. 

“You deserve to be with someone you love,” Richie told him softly, as his fingers traced their way up to Eddie’s immaculate hair. 

“I’m going to break up with her,” Eddie whispered softly having made up his mind impulsively. 

Richie hummed and continued to gently card his fingers through his hair while Eddie pulled his phone out and texted Myra that they needed to meet up tomorrow. 

He’s feeling quite emboldened right now but knew that she at least deserved the decency to be broken up with in person and besides she didn’t even know about the ring so it shouldn’t be too hard. As long as the word doesn’t get to his mom, everything will be fine. 

Everything will be fine; he let himself think again, feeling the words curl warmly over him. 

“Do you wanna just order Chinese food and watch some garbage tv?” Eddie asked, drained from just sending the text. 

“I would love nothing more,” Richie grinned already pulling up a menu for one of the more notoriously greasy places that also just so happened to be one of the most popular among his peers. 

It was almost cathartic to be eating junk knowing that he wouldn’t have to deal with anyone nagging him over it soon. Eddie still had to remind himself that it was fine, but he couldn’t expect to get over it all in one night. He was actually still planning to keep eating how he usually did but if he decided to have take-out than no one would have to know. 

Richie kept insisting that Eddie sit next to him and considering everything he’d just spilled out; Eddie was feeling particularly soft. Their legs were tangled together and he had an arm slung around his shoulders. He would rather die than openly admit it, but he was really enjoying the attention. Eddie was fully aware that he was touch starved and it wasn’t often that he let people cuddle with him, so he was soaking it all up while he could. 

He willingly laid down on Richie’s chest when he complained about being uncomfortable. Eddie was the one to pull the blanket over top of them and tried not to think too hard about how they hadn’t brushed their teeth yet. 

There was something particularly vulnerable about waking up and being on Richie. He could hear his heart beating against his ear and it was far more calming than was fair. Eddie almost let himself doze back off again but he made important plans. 

Even though he was more than a little scared, he was going to break up with Myra. 

Eddie took a deep breath to gather himself and almost bit his tongue because it smelled so much like Richie- a mixture of sweat, cinnamon cologne, and Eddie’s own soaps. He whimpered a bit and leaned back into the comforting smell before he realized what he was doing and almost shot up like he’d been shocked. 

Instead he calmly untangled himself from their cuddle, doing his absolute best not to wake up Richie. He sighed contently when he didn’t seem to move much aside from a slight wrinkle in his brow and some menial shuffling. 

Myra agreed to meet with him on campus and Eddie nearly collapsed with relief. He wanted to do this in a public place so that there would be less chance of a big scene being made; plus it would be easier for him to get away if need be. Eddie was beaming while he finished applying hair gel, styling it up with a little more care than was needed. He hoped he didn’t come off as a jerk for putting a little more effort into how he looked today but this was important to him. 

Eddie wondered if he should text Stan and Bill about it but decided it wouldn’t matter all that much. He didn’t want any more advice on this and he felt like he was more likely to chicken out if too many people knew. He would tell them after it was taken care of though because they deserved to know how it all wrapped up. 

“You didn’t wake me up,” Richie complained sleepily, resting his head on Eddie’s shoulder. 

Eddie inhaled sharply at the unplanned contact and willed himself not to blush at it. “I thought you’d prefer to sleep in,” he meekly said as he subconsciously leaned into him. 

“Wanted to see you off properly,” Richie yawned his nose pressed against Eddie’s neck, which caused him to shiver. 

“Oh,” Eddie said for the lack of anything better to say, he smiled at the swish of Richie’s tail brushing against his leg. “Do you want to have some muffins and watch the news with me then?” 

Richie hummed and nodded, he moved away and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Eddie cringed and gently took his smudged glasses off his face and gingerly cleaned them to the best of his ability using only his shirt. Once he was happy with how clean they were, he carefully put them back on Richie’s face, surprised with how much he blushed at the action. Eddie felt himself turning pink in return because of the wide-eyed surprised look Richie gave him. 

“You didn’t have to do that,” he whispered thickly, his tail whipped nervously behind him. 

“I wanted to though,” he smiled sweetly as he took Richie's wrist and pulled him towards the kitchen. 

Eddie was beginning to wonder if there was something more to their roommate relationship. He was pretty sure that Richie wasn’t planning on finding someone to sleep with anytime soon and for some reason that made him happier than he felt was fair. 

They ate in the living room and Eddie found himself not fretting as much as he should be. Before he’d met Richie, it would normally take a long time for Stan and Bill to convince him that it would be okay to eat there. He was still concerned about how long it would take for crumbs to attract mice, but he reasoned with himself that it would be okay as long as he vacuumed thoroughly when he finished up on campus. 

Would it be too extreme if he vacuumed twice...? 

Richie’s knee bumped into his and caused Eddie to stop thinking for a bit. 

“How are you feeling?” he asked as he licked some stray crumbs from his lip. 

“Oh, I’m feeling pretty good,” Eddie said after a beat that was a little too long. “Considering I’m going to breaking up with my would-be fiancée in an hour or so,” he smiled. 

“Do you think she’ll take it well?” 

Eddie paused and took a big bite out of his own muffin to give him time to mull it over. “Honestly, I don’t know,” he said vulnerably. “It would be much easier if she did; but it’s not like this is the first time I’ve tried to break this off.” 

“You tried to break up with her before this?” Richie asked him incredulously, almost dropping his muffin. 

He managed to catch it but it left more than a few crumbs on the floor and blankets. Eddie chose not to think too hard about that and nodded. 

“When we first started dating, I tried to end it after a couple weeks,” he shrugged, no longer looking at Richie and his mess, as long as he focused on the weather than he could pretend that everything was perfectly clean. 

“How long ago was that?” 

“A couple years ago...” 

“Eddie,” Richie breathed leaning against his arm again, his tail coiled around his leg. 

“Richie, it’s not that big a deal,” he smiled reaching out to pat his thigh. 

“If you say so,” Richie let it go easily but put his hand over Eddie’s to keep it where it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was going to drag out the relationship with Myra longer but honestly I don't want to; Eddie and Richie already act like they're married and he has to realize it's toxic by now. ^^;;
> 
> Anyways merry Christmas (and Hanukkah too)!! Got swamped with holiday baking so this is a day later than I'd like.


	13. Breakups and group chats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie cuts his ties with Myra.

They finished up with their muffins in relative quiet, only exchanging a few words and quips here and there over the news. Eddie didn’t take his hand off of Richie’s thigh and Richie stayed pressed borderline uncomfortably against his side. 

His side was shockingly cold when Eddie finally did have to get up so that he wouldn’t be late for his meet up with Myra. 

Richie gave him a lingering hug and then he was out the door, possibly missing one of the textbooks he’d be needing later. 

Eddie was smiling and even sang along to the radio on the drive to campus. He knew that he shouldn’t be this happy for ruining his relationship. Eddie knew that he was about to hurt Myra but really it was for the best that they stopped skirting around this. They both had to be aware that this was a bad relationship, he was positive that neither of them was happy anymore. 

He took a few extra deep breaths just to steel his nerves and texted Richie that he’d made it to campus. It was grossly unnecessary, but he liked the encouraging texts that he sent back as encouragement. Eddie made his peace and then got out and made his way towards the small coffee shop that was on campus. 

This was also where he’d first met Myra, so maybe it was a bit fucked up on that end but she insisted that they meet up here if he didn’t want her coming to his apartment. 

Myra was already seated and sipping on an iced coffee, so he perched himself on the edge of the other bench- not allowing himself to get too comfortable. 

“What did you need to talk about?” she asked smiling at him sweetly. “You know I could have just stopped by your apartment before my class.” 

Eddie hummed and tried not to stare straight at her because that would have just made it easier for him to fold and chicken out. “I wanted to talk about our relationship.” 

“Oh!” Myra looked surprised and oddly happy. “Are you sure you want to do that here?” 

Eddie frowned and nodded, “Yeah, this isn’t, um, working out.” 

Her hands stilled on her coffee cup and she regarded him carefully. “Eddie-bear... are you breaking up with me?” she asked feebly, voice wobbling. 

Eddie was already feeling guilty but nodded his way through it. “I don’t think we should draw this out longer than we already have.” 

“But Eddie, what about your mother?” Myra asked already with tears dripping down her cheeks. “Don’t you love me?” 

She was getting louder as the time went by and Eddie’s skin crawled anxiously at the dirty looks people were giving them. 

“Myra,” he tried to placate softly. 

“No! Don’t do this to me!” she burst loudly. 

“Myra, please,” Eddie said, not entirely sure what he wanted from that but knowing that he had to get her to calm down because she was making a scene. 

“I’m going to call your mom and work this all out,” she sniffled, and Eddie started seeing red. 

“No.” Eddie stood up and looked down at her, frowning as he tried to keep it together. “You have no right to be doing this to me; I’m not doing this anymore. It’s over Myra.” 

Eddie didn’t stay to see the aftermath, leaving the coffee shop in a blur, steadying himself with the brisk breeze and counting back from twenty. 

He pulled out his phone and not wanting to deal with multiple conversations made a group chat with Bill, Stan, and Richie. Eddie had walked to his lab on auto-pilot and since he had an hour to kill, settled into his usual chair and texted them what he’d done. He felt much lighter than he had in the past few years despite the looming dread that Myra was going to call his mother anyways. 

He was debating changing his name and number when the first text came in. 

**Eddie named the conversation “Big News” **

**Eddie added Richie T., Bill D., and Stan U. **

**Today 9:08 AM **

**Eddie (9:08):** Hey, I’m only going to say this once but 

**Eddie:** I broke up with Myra 

**Richie T.:** Im so proud of you!!! >v< 

**Richie T.:** Also...  
**  
Richie T. changed Eddie’s nickname to “Eddie Spaghetti” **

**Richie T. changed their nickname to “Best boy” **

**Best boy (9:09):** That’s better :)

**Eddie Spaghetti:** :/ 

**Eddie Spaghetti:** Was that really necessary 

**Bill D.:** holy shit 

**Bill D.:** this was so worth getting up to check 

**Bill D.:** @Stan U. get ur lazy ass up 

**Stan U. added Mike H. to “Big News” **

**Stan U. changed their nickname to “Stan the man” **

**Stan the man changed Bill D.’s nickname to “Big Bill” **

**Stan the man (9:10):** Mike deserves to know. 

**Big Bill:** its about time btw 

**Stan the man:** Good job Eddie 

**Mike H.:** I’m so proud of you! 

**Best boy:** Wait... mike hanlon???? 

**Mike H.:** Uh. “Best boy?”;; 

**Best boy:** Richie Tozier! I didn’t know you knew Eddie?? 

**Mike H.:** Hey Richie :)

**Mike H.:** I work at the library 

**Eddie Spaghetti:** I’ve told you about this?? 

**Best boy changed Mike H.’s nickname to “Good at drums” **

**Good at drums (9:14):** Lol thanks I guess 

**Eddie Spaghetti:** Wait you play drums? 

**Best boy:** Hes our drummer uwu 

**Eddie Spaghetti:** “uwu” 

**Eddie Spaghetti:** I have to go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to try group chat stuff but the formatting is more effort than I'd like so it won't be happening very much. It's mostly to move the plot along and connect the group more. ^^;;
> 
> But yay! Finally broke up with Myra, now I can go into other things lol


	14. Aftermath and deflecting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie deflects some emotions and there's texting

Eddie put his phone down and still couldn’t stop himself from smiling. He was really happy that everything seemed to be going smoothly. 

Richie was blowing up the group chat trying to get Eddie to respond again, so he put it on silent for the time being. 

He just wanted some time to himself to process everything that he’d done this morning.... Well that and he still had a few problems to work out on the homework and he really didn’t want to look like an idiot during the lab. 

It doesn’t occur to him until just after his lab that he doesn’t know why Stan would have Mike’s number, considering he’d been the one to introduce them. He supposed that he probably got it from Bill, but Eddie is pretty sure that it would have just been quicker for Bill to add him to the group chat at that point, not that it really mattered Eddie mused. 

Eddie ended up deciding to invite Mike to his usual study group because he had nothing better to do with his lunch hour. Plus, he really wanted to befriend him; he seemed like a good guy and gave Eddie advice even though they really weren’t that close. 

**Best boy renamed the conversation “Eddie plz notice me uwu” **

**Today: 10:30 **

**Best boy (10:30):** Eds plz 

**Best boy:** I wont uwu again 

**Stan the man:** Bro, he has lab right now. 

**Best boy:** O shit 

**Best boy:** Sry eds 

**Today: 12:13**

**Eddie Spaghetti: @Good at drums** do you want to study with us tonight 

**Good at drums:** Like just at the library or? 

**Stan the man (12:14):** That would be for the best, our dorm can’t fit that many. 

**Good at drums: **Sure, sounds fun :) 

**Big Bill:** hell yeah big study group 

**Big Bill:** i need help with proofreading 

**Best boy:** I feel so left out ‘uwu’ 

**Eddie Spaghetti:** Jesus christ 

**Big Bill:** just bring him with lol 

**Stan the man:** Probably best to not leave him unsupervised. 

**Best boy:** Blease **@Eddie Spaghetti **

**Eddie Spaghetti: **Fuck 

**Eddie Spaghetti:** Fine, finish those damn library books 

**Best boy:** Yay! UWU 

**Eddie Spaghetti changed their nickname to “Eddie” **

**Eddie changed Best boy’s nickname to “Worst boy” **

**Worst boy (10:20):** UnU 

**Worst boy:** ouch 

**Worst boy changed their nickname to “Trash mouth <3” **

**Trash mouth <3 changed Eddie’s nickname to “Eds” **

**Eds (10:21):** … 

**Trash mouth <3:** <3?? 

**Eds: </3 **

**Trash mouth <3:** ;n; 

**Stan the man:** Can you not flirt in the group chat? 

**Eds:** WE WEREN’T FLIRTING 

**Big Bill:** ,’:/ 

**Eds:** asdfkljjfdksl 

**Eds:** I’m leaving 

Eddie sighed and slumped against the outside table he’d made himself at home at. His books laid untouched since he’d pulled them out and he really didn’t know what he was doing. Was he flirting with Richie? 

Did he _want_ to flirt with him? 

Wasn’t it too soon to be thinking about relationships again? 

He groaned and dragged his hands down his face. His phone pinged with another missed call and Eddie swiped the notification away. Myra held good on her threat to call his mom and Eddie was now greatly relieved that he hadn’t gone out and had a spare key made yet, at least she wouldn’t be able to get into his apartment. 

A few more texts came through from his mother and he had half a mind to just go ahead and block her for the time being. It really wasn’t worth the headache of having to sit through her yelling at him for dumping a perfectly good girl like Myra. She was probably convinced this was just a rough patch in their relationship and Eddie was starting to wonder how much his mom and Myra talked when he wasn’t around. 

Eddie regretted leaving the group chat so hastily. It really wasn’t a big deal if his texts could be sub textually be read as flirting. He was missing the distraction and company more than he realized he would. 

The rest of his classes went by without incident but every now and then he could hear people whispering about Myra and him. He supposed that he couldn't have asked for the news not to spread quickly when Myra had made such a loud scene at the coffee shop. At least no one had decided to outright berate him, and no one was really glaring at him or giving him dirty looks. 

Either way, he was grateful to be done with his classes. He made sure to text Richie that he was leaving to pick him up and that he had better be done with his library books. Eddie chose not to put that in the group chat though because he was still a little embarrassed over what happened earlier. 

Thankfully Richie was all ready to leave when he got there. He was straining another one of Stan’s shirts and Eddie idly made a mental note to take him out to get some better fitting clothing soon. Richie chattered about the morbid nature of the fairytales and told him that he was going to pick out something up lighter. 

Eddie smiled and casually wrapped his arm around Richie’s waist as they walked towards the elevator. He was just so happy and needed a subtle outlet, it just so happened that Richie had been there. “You can pick out whatever library books you want,” he cut Richie off mid-ramble. 

Richie hummed and shuffled closer to Eddie in the library. 

“Even reference books?” he challenged. 

“You’ll have to ask Mike about that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably will be the last chapter with the actual group chat messages in them; mostly wrote them to make the friendship progressing seem more fluid but not sure how successful that came out.
> 
> Anyways... Happy New Year!! I'm writing this a little tipsy with some friends so there's probably some influence from that in there. (oops?)


	15. Thrift shopping and ice cream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys finally get Richie his own clothing.

Mike was the only one waiting for them when they arrived at the library. Richie was beaming and whispering quite loudly about how cool Mike was on the drums. Eddie was still a little surprised that they’d already known each other and wondered how he managed to balance his job, classes, and band practices. He’d have to ask him for some time management tips some time. 

He greeted them warmly and checked in Richie’s books, going as far as to offer him his own library card so that Eddie didn’t need to worry about how many books he had out already. 

Eddie waved that offer away in favor of picking out a good table so that they could talk at a reasonable level. Mike, being a library assistant knew all the good spots and since it was getting fairly late in the day knew that it really didn’t matter where they sat. Still, he went with Eddie’s paranoia and led them to a table further in the back away from prying eyes. 

Not too long after Richie and Eddie’s arrival, Stan and Bill found their table. Bill proudly put a big plastic dish on the table and pulled the lid away to reveal a poorly iced cake. 

“Happy 'finally broke up with Myra' day!” he grinned as Stan pulled a couple paper plates and some forks out of his bag. 

“You do know this is a library, right?” Mike asked unamused. “I should be kicking you out for this.” 

“...But you won’t because you want a piece of cake too?” 

Mike sighed and waved Bill on to proceed with it. He was even the one to cut the cake when it comes to light that neither of them actually knew the proper way to cut a cake. 

“Thanks guys,” Eddie said shyly as he accepted a slice from Mike. He really didn’t see why it was such a big deal but was too embarrassed to stop them. Besides he hadn’t had an actual proper slice of cake in years, he had grown used to gluten and sugar free so this was a real treat. 

He groaned a bit at the taste but would absolutely refuse to admit that to anyone who wasn’t already present. Richie had chocked a bit and watched him with wide eyes at the noise. 

“It’s been a long time, okay?” Eddie confessed flushing under everyone’s stares. 

Bill was the first to start laughing and it just cascaded until Eddie was laughing so hard that his ribs hurt, and he was gasping for breath. He had Stan draped over his side as he struggled not to fall off his chair. Mike was the first to recover but still was giggling every few seconds because laughter was super contagious. 

Eddie had to wipe the traces of tears from his eyes when he finally calmed down. His face ached from smiling and he wondered when the last time he’d felt like that was. He was just thankful that Mike worked here and could keep them from getting kicked out. 

“Hey, hold on,” Mike said once everything had settled down. “So Richie’s the incubus?” 

This time Eddie was the one to choke on his cake. Stan patted him on the back until his coughing fit subsided and Richie was nervously watching. He took a couple big gulps from his water bottle and eventually nodded. “Yeah, uh, sorry Rich, he kinda knows about that.” 

Mike looked guilty for accidentally causing him to choke and said as much before curiously turning to examine his band mate closer. 

Richie laughed nervously and looked around to make sure no one was around to be watching and then let his horns appear in their usual puff of smoke. 

“Shit,” Mike gasped and scrutinized them before turning to Eddie and Stan. “I’m not going to lie, I thought you guys may have been on something.” 

“We get it, it’s not a big deal,” Stan smiled, and Richie hid his horns away again not wanting to risk anymore people finding out. 

“it’s a lot to take in,” Richie shrugged sheepishly as he fiddled with his fork for a bit. 

Mike kept occasionally stopping to glance over at Richie’s head in wonderment the entire study session, but no one chose to comment on that. Stan and Bill did a similar thing when they’d found out, so it made sense especially given the circumstances. 

The group chat stayed in place and even if it went quiet for a day or so, Richie always managed to bring it back to life with a relevant meme or a bizarre image that had Eddie questioning for days where he managed to dig something like that up. He wasn’t convinced yet that Richie himself wasn't the source for the cursed images. 

Everything settles down over the next couple weeks and after a while even his mom seemed to get the message that he didn’t want to talk because she’d stopped trying to call him. Eddie was actually enjoying his time in college for the first time in ages and his friendship with Richie was only getting stronger. 

“Hey, Eds, do you want to come to our concert?” he asked one night while they were watching some random true crime show. 

Eddie looked over and stared at him like he was an idiot because obviously he did, “When is it?” 

“This Friday.” 

“Cool, I’ll be driving you anyways, right?” he asked casually as he bumped his knee against Richie’s. 

“Yeah,” Richie smiled as he shuffled into Eddie’s space. 

Eddie wrapped his arm around Richie as he properly secured his place leaning into his shoulder. His hair tickled Eddie’s exposed collarbone and he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“Who all is going to be there?” he asked now that he wasn’t really sure what was going on with the show anymore. (He was fairly sure that the wife was the killer, but he digressed.) 

“Bill said he would make Stan go, so them and you know all my band mates,” Richie smiled softly, his fingers played idly with Eddie’s. 

“Mike, Beverly, and her boyfriend...?” he voiced unsure. 

“Ben,” Richie supplied helpfully. 

“Right, Ben,” he nodded as he turned his palm towards Richie’s to properly lace their fingers together. 

“Oh,” Richie breathed out quietly, looking at their hands in wonder. 

Eddie took this as a bad thing and was going to pull his hand away, but Richie squeezed his fingers and nestled his head against his shoulder. His horn dug into him a bit, but he honestly didn’t mind that as much as he should. 

Their home life slowly spiraled into something more domestic and Eddie wasn’t even sure what to call their relationship, mostly he settled on roommates because that was the easiest one that didn’t go below surface level. 

Simple things did get more complicated though because Eddie hadn’t been able to make basic scrambled eggs in the usual ten minutes. Richie had taken to draping himself next to Eddie whenever the opportunity presented itself and even when it wasn’t appropriate, he still managed to find ways to wrap his tail around his ankles. Eddie openly complained on the matter but still made sure to keep his legs where Richie could reach. 

He had almost skipped out on classes on more than one occasion simply because he liked to argue with Richie over the most random obscenities. Richie’s favorite one to bring up was whether a hot dog constituted a sandwich or not; they’d gone back and forth on that one off and on for at least two days before Eddie conceded that hot dogs were a class of sandwich in the same way that a person was a mammal. 

Every now and then Richie would refer to a cheese sandwich as a cheese hot dog just to bother him, but Eddie would rather die than admit that he found the whole thing at least a little bit humorous. 

Before the concert Eddie even managed to take Richie shopping with some of his leftover scholarship funds. It pained him to spend it, but he was also aware that Stan’s shirts were already never going to fit him like they used to. If he was lucky, Richie might even be able to start paying him back with some earnings from his band, Eddie wasn’t really holding his breath on that though; although he was excited to finally hear them play for once. 

He’d come home to Richie practicing more often than he did not, and he had to admit that he was actually pretty good. Granted Richie always shut down as soon as he realized that Eddie was home, insisting that he didn’t want to give out any spoilers before their big debut. 

Even though Eddie offered to take him to nicer stores to pick out new clothing, Richie insisted that he take him thrift shopping instead. He didn’t like the idea of getting used clothes but placated himself by saying that they were going to wash everything twice before any of it was worn. Richie agreed to his terms and honestly it was much nicer on Eddie’s wallet, so he was actually grateful at the end of the day. 

He should have known by now that Richie had rather specific tastes in clothing; he’d always gravitated more towards Stan’s louder patterns. Eddie was still taken aback that he managed to pull off such horrendous fashion travesties. He managed to make even the most clashing of patterns and colors somehow work for him, he was scared to admit that he really liked it. 

“What about this one?” Richie asked, coming out with vertical striped pants and a pineapple Hawaiian print shirt unbuttoned over his tight black shirt and damn if it didn’t look like the best thing Eddie had ever seen. 

“You look like shit,” Eddie commented, refusing to look at him too closely. “Also did you really need to put that stuff on? Who knows where it came from.” 

“Ah, c’mon Eds,” Richie grinned as he walked over and leaning into Eddie’s space teasingly. “I’m rocking it right?” 

“Get out of my face,” Eddie complained as he pushed Richie’s face away from him. He was absolutely not blushing. 

“I’m going to get this one,” Richie chimed as he practically pranced back into the changing rooms. 

Eddie wasn’t even sure why a place like this needed dressing rooms, but he was mostly dwelling on that because he wasn’t sure if he was ready to face the fact that his new type just so happened to be fashion's nightmare.... wait... 

Richie wasn’t his type. Eddie still liked girls. 

For the most part, he added unsure.

But it was okay to admit that Richie had a unique type of fashion that he liked so he supposed that in a way Richie was his type- _in clothing._ Clothing that he would never in his life wear but could still admire from afar. 

Eddie had almost recovered when Richie reemerged wearing some polka dot eyesore that was all sorts of different shades of pink that absolutely should not be worn together. He wasn’t entirely sure if Richie was being serious with his choices and at this point, he was too scared to ask. 

They ended up leaving the thrift store with a terrifying number of busy patterns and neon. Eddie wasn’t even sure if he wanted to call Richie his roommate anymore for the fashion crimes he was going to commit on a now daily basis; still his bank account was doing quite well for itself, so it wasn’t _that_ bad. 

“Do you want to get some ice cream?” Eddie asked after they shoved all the bags into the trunk. 

“Really?” Richie asked incredulously. “We just spent a lot of money, are you sure that will be okay?” 

“You aren’t as expensive as you tell yourself you are,” he smiled coyly. 

“Ex-_cuse_ you,” Richie pouted. “I’m Gucci value.” 

“And you shop at thrift stores so...” 

“Whatever,” he rolled his eyes and linked his arms with Eddie. “Just lead the way.” 

Eddie smiled and lead them back to what was hopefully a decent ice cream shop that they’d passed a little while ago. It looked decent enough from the outside, a bit sun faded and worn but otherwise in pristine condition with a couple flower beds in the front that had originally caught his eye. They looked well maintained and Eddie was delighted to see a couple bumblebees lazily circling the flowers. 

Richie on the other hand huddled closer to Eddie upon seeing the bees. 

“Eddie,” he whisper-whined, “there’s bees here.” 

“Bees keep the planet alive,” Eddie shot back. 

“And they sting people,” Richie cringed. 

“Only if you provoke them,” he said and jabbed him in the ribs lightly because he was getting too close. 

Richie eyed them suspiciously and pulled Eddie quickly into the shop, he let out a huff of relief now that there was a glass door between them. 

“Are you scared of bees?” Eddie asked amused, quirking a brow up in question. 

“No,” Richie denied weakly. 

“Liar.” 

“Let’s just order already,” he pouted and pulled on Eddie’s arm again leading him up to the counter where a disgruntled teen who probably didn’t want to be there was waiting. 

She put on a pretty convincing customer service smile and greeted them, telling them to take their time and to let her know if they wanted to try any samples. Eddie immediately had to stop Richie from trying to get a sample of every flavor available by limiting to just three samples. 

“But Eddie,” Richie pouted, the childish gleam fading a bit. 

“No, Richie, we’re grown ass men and don’t need to sample everything.” 

“Okay but what if I sample three and you sample three and we split them,” he compromised and gave Eddie some mean puppy dog eyes. 

Eddie sighed and gave in much to the worker’s amusement, “Fine, but no more than three each and I’m picking my flavors.” 

Richie cheered and full on hugged Eddie, nuzzling into his shoulder and everything- the full nine yards. 

Even though he still didn’t really want to, Eddie really did end up enjoying getting the samples, possibly because he’d grown complacent with the standard flavors- chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. Admittedly he went out of his way to pick obscure flavors that he thought Richie would hate; his favorite reaction by far was because of black licorice which ended up staining both of their mouths black. 

It didn’t occur to him until he was accepting half of Richie’s espresso sample that they’d been sharing spoons; that normally would put him off, but he still ended up sharing the rest of the flavors. Richie didn’t seem to be bothered by it and by now they’d gone through at least four flavors, so it wasn’t even worth bringing up anyways. 

Eddie ended up getting a coffee scoop in a sugar cone because there was no one to tell him off; besides he was an adult. He doubted there was any real caffeine in there anyways. 

Richie got some ungodly combination of chocolate ice cream in a waffle cone and then still had the gall to ask the worker to smother it in chocolate syrup. Eddie could practically feel his arteries clogging just looking at it. 

“You guys are pretty cute,” the cashier commented as she rung them up. 

“Too bad he wouldn’t let me sample everything,” Richie pouted as he wrapped his arm around Eddie’s waist. 

“As if you need the added sugar,” Eddie scoffed pushing him off as he pocketed the change. 

“Is it too late to get sprinkles?” Richie asked the worker charmingly. 

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, smiling, “Only if your boyfriend says it’s okay.” 

Richie’s grin widened to Cheshire margins and he returned to Eddie’s side, “Eds?” 

Eddie stiffened in response, entirely caught off guard. 

“We aren’t a couple,” he blushed pointedly hiding to the best of his ability behind his cone. “Do what you want.” 

“That’s a yes,” Richie beamed as he passed the cone back to the reluctant worker, who halfheartedly added some rainbow sprinkles. 

Eddie tried to get Richie to go back outside after that embarrassing display, but he refused to leave because of the bees. 

“They’d never leave us alone,” he whined as he licked a stray drip from his cone while he struggled to maneuver him towards one of the tables inside. “They’ll follow us to the apartment and then they’d get in and-” 

“Okay, fine,” Eddie cut him off before that could go any further. 

“Oh thank god, I thought we were really about to risk our lives out there,” Richie sighed and sat down at the nearest table. 

At least the worker looked equally as flustered over the mishap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Admittedly the stuff that was written while I was tipsy is actually a lot funnier than I thought it would be so I'm leaving it in. 
> 
> There's still some internalized stuff for Eddie to work through but it's getting somewhere now!!


	16. Black and white movies with soup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which soup is made and that's pretty much it.

It just so happened that Richie was one of the messiest ice cream eaters that he’d ever met- and that included children. 

He made a big show of licking the sprinkles off his lips too and Eddie wasn’t even sure why his heart was pounding so hard. Eddie never had this happen before and couldn’t help wondering if he should schedule a doctor’s appointment for the near future. It didn’t hurt per se, but it wasn’t normal and it scared him a bit. He considered asking Stan what he thought of it, but the concert was tomorrow night and he would be seeing him there anyways. 

“What are you six?” Eddie scoffed as Richie continued to slurp up drips from his cone. 

“Six inches deep in your mom,” Richie chimed happily waggling his brows at Eddie. 

He rolled his eyes and kicked him under the table. “I regret asking; but seriously you have chocolate on your cheek right now.” 

Richie hummed and swiped at his cheek, which just so happened to be the wrong one. 

Eddie sighed, “Never mind, I’ll get it.” He grabbed a napkin from the holder and absentmindedly licked it before he leaned over the table and dabbed at his cheek removing the chocolate himself. 

Richie blushed and watched Eddie with something akin to amazement as he resituated himself back in his seat. 

“Geez, Eds, warn a gal first,” Richie said as he took a bite out of his cone, hunching into his seat a bit. 

“I did warn you though?” 

Eddie didn’t bother going to the same amount of effort to keep Richie’s face clean, mostly because the chocolate was replaced only a mere seconds later. Instead he took his time to enjoy the remnants of his sugar cone, which was at this point mostly soaked through with melted coffee ice cream. 

After a while his heart even managed to get a hold of itself and he was perfectly comfortable when Richie took his arm and walked him out of the shop. Eddie didn’t even feel the need to tell him about the leftover chocolate on his face; it was his fault for being so messy anyways. Plus, he was basically using him as a human shield against the bees. (Eddie actually found that cute because the bumbles were just so lazy and non-threatening.) 

The drive home was mostly uneventful until Richie decided to look at his reflection in the sun visor. 

“Eddie, why didn’t you tell me my face was a mess?!” he complained, swiping at the chocolate. Richie scowled when Eddie started cackling at his expense. “You’re terrible, just horrid,” he seethed as he curled dejectedly into his seat, pouting at Eddie. 

“I’m sorry,” he gave in and apologized halfheartedly at the next stop light but only because Richie still hadn’t let up on his pout and Eddie was seriously concerned about him keeping that face up for the entire night. He wasn’t sure he could handle that. 

“Accepted,” Richie immediately perked up, returning to his usual smile and adjusting himself so that he was properly sitting in his seat and not faced entirely at Eddie. 

“It was mostly your fault though,” he offhandedly said in response, pleased when Richie whined and lightly swatted at his arm. 

“You’re so mean to me.” 

“I could make you carry all the bags up by yourself,” Eddie threatened jokingly. 

He did not actually make him carry everything up by himself, mostly because he didn’t want to watch Richie try to carry all the bags in one trip and inevitably fail. Eddie didn’t want to have to help him pick up the aftermath of one of the bags ripping. 

They should have cleared up some space for Richie’s new clothes beforehand but that hadn’t really been at the forefront of his mind that morning. At least they had some time to work it out while everything was washing; Eddie should have picked up some more detergent. 

Richie tried to convince him that everything was fine after one wash, but he wasn’t going to be giving in on that- especially since he only had one closet that they would be sharing. (Eddie wasn’t about to have a roommate with a strictly wrinkled wardrobe... )

He should probably think about seeing the building manager to see about adding Richie onto his lease though. Eddie wasn’t about to ask him about his future plans quite yet, but he liked to think that they had a nice thing going here and he would be genuinely sad to see Richie go. 

“Eddie, I’m going to make gummy worm soup,” Richie said dead seriously. 

“NO,” Eddie grabbed his arm to prevent him from leaving the laundry room. 

“So, you are listening,” he grinned, “I was worried there for second, you’ve been looking at the soap for a while now.” 

Eddie sighed and set the bottle back on its rightful place above his washing machine. “Sorry, what did you want?” 

“Well, now I want to make a soup with gummy worms,” he said slyly as he draped his newly freed arm around Eddie. 

“Absolutely not,” he seethed not pushing Richie away. “I won’t have you ruining one of my good pots for something so stupid.” 

“It could be fun though,” Richie shrugged with one shoulder, weakly trying to convince him but more so just to push his buttons. 

“How about just a regular tomato soup?” he offered instead. 

“That’s not nearly as fun but I guess that’s fine,” Richie sighed finally being able to pull Eddie out of the laundry area. “We don’t have any gummy worms anyways.” 

Making soups with Richie was a lot different to making anything else just because of the amount of waiting time between waiting for things to boil and simmer. He kept quietly turning the stove up much higher than need be when Eddie wasn’t looking, and it was driving him crazy. No matter how much he slapped Richie’s hands from the dials he still insisted that it would cook faster and try again in no less than a minute. 

“Jesus Christ, Rich!” Eddie finally exploded. “Just go pick out some movies or something,” he sighed as he banished him from the kitchen. 

“Are you sure?” he asked at least looking a little bit guilty. 

“This will need to simmer for a few hours before it’s ready anyways; just pick something good,” Eddie said as he gently pushed him through the doorway. “Give me a few minutes to get everything prepped and I’ll be there.” 

“Make some popcorn?” Richie asked hopefully. 

Eddie did end up making popcorn because it had been a while since they’d eaten lunch and he didn’t trust Richie not to spoil his appetite before the soup was done, at least this way he could keep track of how much he was eating to some degree. 

Somehow Richie managed to dig up some old black and white film that Eddie wasn’t even aware he owned. He was actually pretty sure that it was left over from Bill, but he didn’t want to admit that because Richie seemed over the moon upon finding it. All Eddie knew was that he found it incredibly boring and cheesy; he kept that strictly to himself and let himself doze off. 

Richie was perfectly content to let Eddie snuggle against him and occasionally steal some of the popcorn. Every now and then he would quietly comment on the movie to Eddie and he would just agree with him because he had no idea what was going on with the plot to begin with- which was not helped by him not paying attention. 

At least they managed not to burn the soup because Eddie had been mindful enough to have set a timer before he’d settled in to watch movies. 

They ate the soup in the living room and Eddie was for once not thinking about the consequences of it. 

“This is a lot better not scorched,” Richie admitted. 

“Better than gummy worm soup?” he asked bemusedly in turn. 

“Now, Eds, I wouldn’t go that far.” 

“Do we really need to do nicknames?” Eddie asked as he stilled his spoon for a moment. 

“That is what friends do, isn’t it?” Richie stopped eating too. 

“Eddie is already a nickname though,” he countered blushing a bit under his intense look. 

“Not one from me,” Richie shrugged as if that was good enough for him, and maybe it was because Eddie let it drop. 

“I guess so...” and that was it for the time being. Eddie grabbed the remote and turned it to some arbitrary science documentary. 

“I was watching that,” Richie pouted. 

“And I wasn’t,” he smirked and set the remote on his side table out of Richie’s reach. 

“I have a concert tomorrow and you’re still being mean to me.” 

“Can’t have you letting that fame get to your head,” Eddie quipped and hooked his ankle with Richie’s. 

Richie sighed and took a big gulp of his soup in lieu of a proper response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Being sick sucks so much; I wish winter break lasted like a week longer so I could be miserable at home. ;v;


	17. Hip checks and dairy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I finally make the inevitable dick joke

The next morning started normally enough, the only change to Eddie’s routine was that he had to switch the laundry out before it mildewed. He also made sure to get Richie up so that he wouldn’t just sleep the whole afternoon away. 

“Richie,” Eddie grumbled. “You need to get up.” 

He was a lot less patient after just waking up and Eddie really didn’t see the need to be nice about making him get up to suffer with him. Eddie sighed deeply and grabbed a hold of the blankets. 

“Get._ Up._” Eddie stressed each word with a strong pull and nearly ended up pulling Richie onto the floor. 

“Holy shit, Eds,” Richie gasped as he jolted awake. He grasped at his chest and looked at him horrified, “Almost gave me a heart attack.” 

“I’ll make coffee,” he said apologetically but not really meaning it. “You asked me to make sure you were up.” 

“I asked you to wake me up not send me to a hospital,” he complained as he put his glasses on. 

Eddie shrugged and went to put the coffee on. 

He still had a morning class to get through which was why Richie had asked him to wake him up in the first place. Richie still didn’t want Eddie to hear any of the finished songs but also wanted a bit of last minute practice before the concert later that night. Eddie agreed to stay out of the apartment a little longer than necessary and to text him before he got home so that he could pack up before he got back. 

“Make sure you shower,” Eddie told him in passing when he was going to change. 

“Why do I smell?” Richie asked in response, mildly horrified. 

“No, but it’ll wake you up and calm your nerves a bit.” 

Richie relaxed and went to investigate the ongoing coffee situation- not much would have been brewed yet, but Eddie let him dream. 

“We should get a better coffee machine,” Richie bemoaned loud enough for Eddie to hear him from his bedroom. 

Eddie snickered and silently agreed. He tried not to make it a habit of drinking coffee, but Stan had gotten him hooked over one too many late-night sleepovers shared over cram sessions before finals. It was to the point that he was religiously drinking the bean water every couple days but he liked to believe that he’d be able to go without a cup if he had to. 

“This machine is a piece of garbage,” Richie reiterated when Eddie reemerged from his room. 

“I know it is but it was super cheap,” Eddie shrugged. 

“It was cheap because it sucks ass,” he scowled at the barely filled coffee pot. 

“Looking at it like that won’t make it brew any faster,” Eddie chastised. “Help me make some pancakes or something.” 

“You make the eggs and I’ll start on the batter,” he sighed, turning towards the cupboards to get started on collecting all the ingredients while Eddie hummed happily. 

“Do you want cheese on your eggs?” 

“Is that even a question?” Richie raised his eyebrow. 

“Yes?” 

“Yes, I would love some cheese.” 

Eddie nodded and silently thanked god that he had a bag of pre-shredded cheese; at least he wouldn’t need to get the cheese grater out so early in the day. He had gotten up much earlier than he normally would with the sole purpose of making a nice breakfast with Richie because they’d agreed to meet up with everyone else for dinner and he wanted one special meal with just the two of them. 

Richie bumped his hip against Eddie’s at any feasible moment, which happened to be quite often given that they were sharing the stove for the time being. 

“Is that enough cheese?” Eddie asked since he was right there to judge it. 

“There’s always room for more, but yeah that’s good,” Richie nodded. “I’m not technically supposed to be having dairy before the concert.” 

“Richie, what the fuck?” Eddie asked horrified. “Why did you let me put cheese in this?” 

“Um, because it tastes good?” 

“Holy shit, you are so lucky that you don’t perform until late,” Eddie sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose out of annoyance. 

“I’ll be fine, don’t even worry about it,” Richie smiled, hip checking Eddie yet again. 

“You’re just making me worry even more.” 

“Well technically I’m making you pancakes,” Richie chirped cheekily. 

“I fucking hate you,” Eddie glared. 

“Okay so maybe that wasn’t my best work, but hate is such a strong word,” he pouted as he flipped his pancakes. 

“Loathe,” Eddie corrected. “I loathe you.” 

“Damn, I didn’t know you were so passionate about me,” Richie hummed as he made a point to lean against him. “It takes a lot of dedication to loathe someone; are you sure you have the time to make a commitment like that?” 

“For you, I’ll make the time,” he assured, smiling. 

Richie was giving him soft glances the rest of the time they’d spent cooking and it was messing with Eddie’s stomach. He felt like he could throw up but also like he was on top of the world at the same time. Eddie was so thankful that he would be with his friends this evening, hopefully they’d be able to shed some light on this mysterious illness that he’d come down. 

He’d already gone through all of his usual medical sites and hadn’t been able to find anything of use. At least Stan was pretty knowledgeable on common medical aliments so if anything, he’d be able to give him a remedy for his symptoms. 

“Do you want one or two pancakes?” Richie asked as he leaned above Eddie to pull some plates out of the cupboard. 

“Two,” Eddie said meekly as he stared at Richie with something that was either akin to wonder or horror about being pinned lightly to the counter because of Richie couldn’t be bothered to just ask him to move out of the way. 

Richie carefully plated up two pancakes and passed it on to Eddie before he quietly took the spatula out of his hand and dished up some eggs for himself. “These look awesome,” he complimented and ruffled Eddie’s hair. 

“Dick,” Eddie growled as he set the plate down to fix his hair. 

“That’s technically another way to say my name I suppose,” Richie grinned cheekily as he ducked into the fridge for the syrup. 

Eddie clicked his tongue distastefully and blindly kicked at his shin. Luckily Richie managed to dodge out of the way without dropping anything, but his point was made. 

Richie still had the audacity to giggle at him for it and Eddie almost took another swipe at him for it. He was performing later though, and he really didn’t want to have to explain why Richie was injured to everyone- so he settled for sulking and eating his breakfast. 

(The sulking lasted a record two minutes before he laughed at some arbitrary comment Richie had made.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, I forgot how stressful it was to secretly write fanfics in public- it's a good rush tho!
> 
> My advisor dragged me into the knowledge bowl this year so my free time for writing is at sporadic points between classes which gets interesting when I don't want to admit that this is what I do in my free time. 
> 
> Also dairy is the performer's devil and I needed to include that rip


	18. Sugar and high tops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike is the best of us and Richie finishes the laundry.

“Hey, Eddie?” Richie asked as he followed him to the door. 

“What’s up?” Eddie acknowledged, slipping his shoes on in the process. 

Richie chewed on his lip for a moment and shyly held his arms open in the universal invitation for a hug. 

“Oh,” he smiled and stepped into it. 

Richie made a stifled noise and wrapped his arms so tightly that Eddie wasn’t sure if he would be needing a chiropractor to fix his spine later. He rested his head on top of Eddie’s and Eddie noted that he could feel his pulse thundering between them. 

“And a good luck kiss,” he whispered and kissed his forehead. 

Eddie inhaled and stared at him wide eyed. 

“That’s not how that works,” he muttered gently, face flushed. 

“Just go to class,” Richie smiled and lightly pushed him towards the door. 

“Okay,” he nodded, not entirely done processing what happened. 

Eddie almost broke down and went to his council of friends about the event, but he was too embarrassed to talk about it quite yet. He wasn’t about to tell them about how mushy it made him feel to relive the moment and somewhere in the back of his mind he was slowly starting to connect some dots. 

He couldn’t wait to get completely wasted later... after the concert because he at least wanted to remember that part of the night. 

Most of his class was spent avidly taking notes and forcing himself to listen to even the mundane lectures just to keep his thoughts from wondering back to Richie. At least this time he had a valid excuse for if he did start daydreaming; he was excited for the concert. 

After he finished up, he went to the library because he really didn’t have anywhere else to be. Although he could probably go pick up that extra laundry soap he mused. 

On that vein of thought, he absently texted Richie to make sure that he swapped the laundry over. 

Richie texted him back a picture of freshly folded laundry which meant that he was not washing everything from the thrift store twice like Eddie told him to. 

He sighed and hoped that his detergent was strong enough to kill all the germs with just the one wash because he was not in the mood to have to rewash everything again- that and Richie had folded everything already. 

Eddie supposed that made sorting out the closet space a bit easier, they could keep all the jeans folded up in the basket on the floor and just hang the shirts up. It wasn’t the best solution, but it would satisfy him for the time being. He added ‘dresser’ to sit alongside ‘new coffee machine’ on the mental list of things they would need to be getting in the near future. 

He sat back in what was becoming their usual study group table and wondered if Richie would be interested in going to school along with him next semester. They’d have to get all the paperwork in order but if he was being fair, his tuition wasn’t that bad. If Richie qualified for the same financial aid and started pulling some money in, then it was perfectly feasible. 

Eddie was still in the process of mulling that over when Mike sat down across from him. 

“Hey Eddie,” he greeted warmly. “What brings you here?” 

“Richie doesn’t want me to hear him practicing,” Eddie said wryly. “Hopefully he’s not terrorizing the neighbors and racking in the noise complaints.” 

Mike laughed and reached across the table to squeeze his forearm comfortingly, “For what it’s worth, Richie’s pretty good at what he does.” 

Eddie hummed and looked around the pretty much dead library atmosphere, “Pretty busy day?” 

“No one ever spends lunch in the library unless it’s exam time,” Mike shrugged. “Looking forward to the concert?” 

He nodded, “Definitely, are you nervous for it?” 

“Nah, I’ve done my fair share of them since knowing Bev; this is actually her fourth time throwing a band together.” 

“Really?” Eddie asked surprised. 

“Richie seems to click with us so hopefully this will be the one,” Mike shrugged hopefully. 

“He’s really excited about it,” Eddie smiled fondly. “Talks about you guys a lot.” 

Mike hummed satisfied with that and idly drummed his fingers against the table. “So, are you guys going to the game next week?” 

“The football one?” he asked curiously, not sure where this was going. 

“Yeah,” Mike drummed. 

“I’d have to check with Richie, but we probably could; what’s going on at the game?” 

Mike blushed a bit and ducked his head at the question and mumbled something that Eddie couldn’t quite make out. 

“What?” 

“I’d like the support,” Mike said louder, making eye contact. 

“...You’re on the football team too?” he asked incredulously. 

“Yeah.” 

“Jesus Christ! How much sleep do you even get?” 

“Like six or seven hours?” Mike offered questioningly. 

“Are you even human?” Eddie blinked. “Please give me some of your time management skills.” 

He laughed and nodded, “I could write some notes out for you, if you’re serious about that?” 

“No, god, please don’t,” Eddie pleaded. “You do enough, just survive all your extra stuff; please don’t add writing notes for me to that.” 

“It wouldn’t be a problem,” Mike assured. 

“You’re too perfect,” Eddie sighed. “It’s almost scary.” 

“So, can I count you in for the game?” 

“Yeah, count us in; I’ll drag Richie if I have to,” Eddie smiled still in disbelief that someone could so perfectly balance so many things and still come off as a functional human being. 

Eddie ended up following Mike around as he re-shelved returned books, and actually found it a little fascinating how much he knew about the Dewey decimal system. Mike clearly put his time into learning as much as he could about his work, and he felt secondhand pride for his friend; he definitely deserved his job. 

Towards the end of his time, he even managed to gain a bit more understanding for how library books were shelved; maybe he wouldn’t need to ask for so much help when he was looking for research sources later this semester. He knew that he would still be going to Mike for help, but he liked to tell himself that he would be able to find the best choice by himself. Eddie could at least give it a proper try. 

He texted Richie that he was going to go to the store before coming home and asked if he need anything. 

Richie hit him back with a text saying that he needed three big bags of gummy worms and that they were almost out of laundry soap and milk. 

Eddie told him that he better not have been drinking any milk and that he’d get one bag of gummy worms before turning his phone onto silent while he drove. He didn’t want to be stressing over his roommate’s dairy in take anyways and he definitely wouldn’t be getting into any crashes over it because he reflexively checked his phone at the wrong time. 

Something about his whole day was overly domestic and Eddie was starting to find that he had grown used to living with Richie. He liked having someone to come home to after school and bicker over what they were having for dinner. It was really nice, and he wasn’t thinking about when Richie would leave anymore; he’d started to hope that he wouldn’t leave at all. 

For god’s sake, Eddie was starting to compile a list of things they would need to get him applied to his school. 

They would need to have a proper talk about that later but for now he was busy trying to decide which package of gummy worms was the best to bring home. He really didn’t want to tempt Richie into anything stupid by getting a big bag, but it was also the best value... There was also the sugar content to consider because Richie sure as hell wasn’t considering his sugar intakes if his syrup portions were anything to go by. 

Eddie sighed and ended up getting the bigger bag anyways as he silently prayed that Richie would be a responsible adult with them. 

...Maybe he should get some ziplocs and portion them out just to be safe? 

He left with a little more than he meant to because he kept getting distracted and picking out things that he thought Richie might want for snacks around the apartment. It didn’t help that he had stopped dieting so hard and loosened up considerably about what foods he could and couldn’t eat. Half of what he put in the cart was actually things for himself that he lied and said were for Richie. 

His wallet was hurting but at least he wouldn’t need to get groceries for the next couple days- it was just good time management. 

Eddie could still hear Richie’s guitar through the door and made sure to knock quite loudly before he opened the door as a final warning to his roommate. 

Richie was carefully putting his guitar back into its case and turned to watch Eddie as he started sorting all the groceries out. 

“Did you get the worms?” 

Eddie rolled his eyes and nodded, “I’m portioning them, so you don’t overdose on sugar though.” 

Richie raised his eyebrows and got up to wonder over, he peered into the bags curiously. “A lot of junk food in there?” 

“Yeah, shut up,” Eddie blushed. “I’m a college student, isn’t this supposed to be the norm?” 

“Not complaining, just noting,” Richie smiled, his hand hovering by Eddie’s back as he quietly dipped around him to look through the other bags. 

“Ah there they are,” he grinned holding up the gummy worms. “Eds, you spoil me with the good brand too!” 

Eddie wasn’t even aware there was a good brand; he just went with the best deal. Richie pulled him into a good side hug for it though and he wasn’t going to complain about that. 

Richie tore open the bag and ignored Eddie warning him not to eat too many of them. 

“I’m serious, Rich, you have a concert!” he stressed and tugged the bag away from Richie. 

“Just two more!” 

Eddie glared at him and silently handed over one gummy worm before folding the bad and shoving it into a cupboard for the time being. 

“No more,” he said sternly. “Go get dressed, we have to meet up with the others in like an hour.” 

Richie bitterly chewed the worm, which immediately took any seriousness away from his expression. He sighed when Eddie didn’t budge and finally nodded, leaving the room to change hopefully. 

Eddie sighed and reopened the cupboard to grab a couple gummies for himself. They were actually pretty good so he could see where Richie was coming from. He quietly ate the worms while he finished up putting everything away. 

“Eds!” Richie gasped scandalized as he just so happened walked back into the kitchen, hair freshly slicked back, catching Eddie in the act. 

Eddie silently offered his last worm over as a treaty of sorts. 

“No more,” he said again trying very hard not to smile. (He failed.) 

Richie laughed and accepted the gummy, “Go get dressed, nerd.” 

Eddie giggled and pat his shoulder as he passed, “I’m serious, no more.” 

He made sure that his outfit wouldn’t be a complete eyesore, unlike Richie’s. Eddie figured he had a free pass on that because it would definitely be drawing some eyes just from the color combination alone; he was still a little pissed that he managed to look so good in those awful patterned shirts. 

Eddie took the extra time to carefully shave away his stubble, another thing Richie hadn’t dealt with that worked for him. 

Once he was satisfied with his appearance, he applied a bit of his nicer cologne and put a little more gel into his hair to keep it in place. Eddie smoothed his button down one last time and went back out to grab his keys and go. 

“Damn, Eds, really trying to show me up at my own show,” Richie said appreciatively, looking Eddie up and down slowly. 

“Shut up,” he laughed. “You’re the one who matched pinstripes with whatever the hell that shirt is supposed to be.” 

“I believe they’re anchors,” Richie hummed as he scrutinized his own shirt. “Or really messed up whales maybe?” 

“It’s terrible,” Eddie grinned and reached for his wrist to herd him towards the door. “Let’s just go, I want to be early.” 

“By like half an hour?” Richie asked, squinting back at the clock. “At least let me go get my guitar.” 

“Oh right,” Eddie embarrassed let go of his wrist. He had his shoes halfway laced and tied up properly by the time Richie returned. 

Richie sighed and looked at his black high tops distastefully. 

“Never again,” he whispered as he struggled to put them on without sitting down. "No more high tops for me..."

Eddie eventually offered his support to keep him from toppling over and scolded him for being so stubborn. 

“It’s the principle of the matter, Spageds,” he said as if he sensed his particular annoyance with _that_ nickname. 

“Just sit down like a normal person.” 

“I’m almost done, just let me tie the laces,” Richie muttered with his tongue caught between his teeth in concentration. 

Eddie rolled his eyes but didn’t stop holding him up while he finished up with his shoes. 

“Got it!” he grinned proudly picking up his guitar case.


	19. Pre-show dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I finally get all the losers together in one place; it only took 19 chapters. :')

It was just the two of them for the drive down because Mike offered to drive Bill and Stan so that Eddie wouldn't have to drive back to campus. 

Richie couldn’t stop looking over at Eddie every few seconds, but could he really be blamed for that when Eddie looked so damn good in navy. He’d been so distracted that he almost forgot to mess with the radio dials with the sole purpose of riling Eddie up. 

“Can you not!” Eddie exploded as he slapped Richie’s hands away from the dials for the third time. 

Richie snorted and leaned back perfectly content with the Spanish station that now playing. He couldn’t help himself when the other man just looked fantastic with some color to his face. It didn’t help that he’d shaved and now all he wanted to do was run his finger down his cheek to see how soft it was. 

He was so close to doing so more than once during the surprisingly long drive. Eddie kept complaining about the evening traffic but honestly Richie was content just to spend as much time alone with Eddie as possible. 

Richie was so far gone, and he knew it. 

He should have gone ages ago, the moment he had enough energy to scrape by. 

But he hadn’t and now he was all hung up on a freshly single, possibly straight man. 

Richie sighed and laid his head on the cold window to collect himself. He couldn’t be pinning like this when he was with his band mates; he needed to get a grip. 

“It’s not too late to pretend to be sick if you don’t want to do this,” Eddie offered with a look that was almost sickeningly sympathetic. 

“I’m fine,” Richie half-smiled feeling so fucking gay right then that it wasn’t even funny. He discreetly pinched the outside of his thigh and collect himself and felt a little more in control. “Besides Bev would have my head if I bailed now.” 

“Okay, just let me know if you need an excuse to go,” Eddie smiled softly as they stopped for another red light. 

Richie’s breath caught a bit, but he nodded. 

He was so relieved when they’d finally reached their agreed upon restaurant. It looked pretty nice from the outside, which was to be expected he supposed, especially since it came with such high reviews from Eddie. 

Once he was inside, he could see why. The floors practically shimmered and you could see the food being cooked from pretty much anywhere in the main dining area. They were still at least ten minutes early but Eddie pulled him through the small crowd of people over to a table where everyone was already waiting for them. 

Richie grinned and sat down next to Mike, leaving only the seat next to him for Eddie to take. 

He shrugged and took his seat, immediately turning to start up a conversation with Stan- mildly disappointing Richie. 

Even though he spent a lot of time co-existing with Eddie, he still childishly was a little jealous that Eddie hadn’t said anything to him since they’d walked in; not so much as a quip. 

“First concert with us, are you excited?” Mike asked soothing him. 

“I’m ready to take the world by storm,” he grinned. 

The waitress came back around to do refills and take more drink orders interrupting them for a few moments. She took one look at Eddie and Richie and went to pull out a few more menus before leaving to finish filling cups. 

“Just don’t miss any of your cues,” Bev jibbed referencing a few times in practice when he’d lost himself in his thoughts and full on missed his intros. 

“That was like one time,” Richie blushed. 

“Try four,” Ben smiled sheepishly as he corrected him. 

“Wow, Haystack, you really didn’t need to keep track; I’m flattered though!” 

“Haystack?” Eddie frowned, turning to Richie for clarification. 

“Check the shoes,” he whispered gleefully. “Plus look at him; man’s built.” 

Richie waited for Eddie to not so discreetly lift the tablecloth to see Ben’s cowboy boots and mentally whooped when he saw the slightest sliver of a smile. 

He knocked his foot against Richie’s before returning to his previous conversation and Richie took that as a win. 

Soon he was sipping at a lemonade and placing an order for a hamburger because Bev had glared daggers at him when he tried to add cheese to it. He denied any accusation of having dairy at all today and stepped on Eddie’s foot when it looked like he was going to throw him under the bus. 

Eddie yelped and glowered at him from under his surprisingly thick lashes. 

He smiled apologetically and tried not to let it show on his face when Eddie not so gently stomped on his foot in retaliation. Richie deserved that but at least Beverly didn’t out right call him out again. 

Overall, he considered dinner a great success. Well about as successful as it could get with Eddie and Stan staring down the chefs and watching the entire cooking process. 

After everything was divided up and paid for, Eddie gently touched the back of his shoulder and nodded towards the exit. Richie was ecstatic and got up to follow, he’d follow him anywhere with only the slightest coaxing. 

“We’re just going to the usual bar, right?” Eddie asked to confirm once they were back in his car. 

“Yeah, Bev wanted some extra time just to set up.” 

Eddie hummed and turned the volume on the radio down, it was still playing over the top Spanish bops- he wondered if Bev would be interested in covering a song like that eventually... 

“Still good?” Eddie glanced over to check him over once more, making his heart flip. 

“As ready as I can be,” Richie smiled softly. “You could give me a proper good luck kiss though,” he jokingly offered. 

Eddie rolled his eyes but leaned over the center console at the next stoplight. He gingerly kissed the stubble on his cheek and then avoided his eyes. 

“Wow,” Richie breathed in disbelief. 

“Don’t say anything,” Eddie growled, red spread all the way to the tips of his ears. 

Richie wasn’t sure he’d be able to say anything coherent anyways. He was going to kill his performance though, there was no way that he’d let it flop after that- although he wished that he’d shaved now. 

“Ugh, I have stubble in my chap stick now,” Eddie complained as he wiped at his lips, grimacing. 

Richie smiled and continued not to say a word the rest of the drive as per Eddie’s request. He did, however, turn the radio back up a few notches to fill the quiet. 

The volume inside the club starkly contrasted what was in the car and had Richie’s pulse racking up. He was so excited now that he almost felt like he was going to throw up or cry... possibly both? Throw up then cry? 

It didn’t matter, all he cared about was getting to perform on stage. 

They still had to set up all the speakers and amps but there was already a small crowd of regular patrons walking around and mingling. The dance floor wasn’t quite as packed as it would be later in the evening, but he was ready to make people fill that space. 

He was practically vibrating by the time they’d gotten backstage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got done rereading for editing and realized I didn't actually give Bill any lines.  
Rip Bill; I didn't mean to do you dirty like that I swear. ;v;


	20. Concerts and sweet drinks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeah boy, the concert finally happens!

Eddie couldn’t believe he’d just kissed Richie, not that anyone would likely believe it if Richie told anyone and it was just on the cheek... 

But still! He didn’t feel how he thought he would after doing so; was sure he wouldn’t feel anything from it and yet. 

He really wished that Stan would have been more helpful with him during dinner, but he supposed that he should be happy enough that he humored him. Telling him that he didn’t want to talk shop about potential illnesses before dinner, while it was reasonable, it only served to stress him out about it a little more. 

Stan did tell him to drink ginger ale and chew aspirin for his heart if it became a common occurrence though, so it wasn’t all bad. Eddie wasn’t sure how much that would help but clung to the belief that it would help at least a little bit. 

He ordered a ginger ale from the bartender just in case something happened between now and the concert and stayed close to Richie. 

Richie was already drawing a lot more attention than Eddie would have liked but that was the intended effect of his choice of clothes. (He hoped at least because the alternative to that was just that Richie was that awful at color coordinating.) 

At least backstage there weren’t any prying eyes and he could breathe easier. 

None of the others were there yet so it was just him and Richie, who had taken to fiddling with some microphones. 

Eddie found himself oddly entranced by the sight and chugged a bit of his ginger ale to calm the knots in his stomach. 

“Do you need any help?” he offered against the lump formed in his throat. 

“Uh, depends; do you know anything about this stuff?” Richie smirked as he leaned back on his haunches. 

“Not really, do you?” 

“Nope,” Richie grinned popping his p. He walked over and plopped himself down in a chair next to Eddie, knocking their knees in the process. 

“Jesus Christ, Rich,” Eddie sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in disbelief that he'd mess with stuff he had little experience. 

Thankfully Mike arrived with Stan and Bill in tow to save them from accidentally breaking anything expensive. 

Except that they didn’t really know that much either, although Mike did know which wires to plug into the speakers so there was that. They also managed to keep Richie occupied enough so that he wasn’t running loose which was an extra plus. 

Beverly and Ben arrived shortly after to put them all to work, sweeping the stage area and general menial tasks that kept them (everyone aside from Mike and Stan that is) busy while they properly hooked everything up the way they wanted. Eddie wasn’t sure if he should complain about the work or be happy that they didn’t kick him out to go stand with the rest of the club goers. 

He was almost a bit sad to put the broom away after all the electrical equipment was set up. There were still a few minutes before they went on so Eddie was really dragging out his time before he would have to join the crowd. Bill and Stan had already gone to get their first round of drinks, leaving just him where he shouldn’t be. 

Richie seemed to pick up on it because he came over and slung his arm around his shoulder easily. 

“Aren’t you going to go out with your friends?” he asked curiously. “You should drink some shots for me.” 

Eddie rolled his eyes and shoved Richie’s arm off. “Maybe I will,” he scoffed unimpressed. 

Richie raised his eyebrow incredulously and looked him over before he shrugged and said, “We could get Mike to drive us home after; go wild, you’re single again.” 

“Okay,” Eddie said softly, not entirely sure why hearing that made him feel conflicted. 

“Break a leg,” he murmured, leaning in to give Richie a brief hug before darting away. 

It wasn’t hard to find his other friends, who had made themselves at home using their friendship with the band members to get their drinks at no cost. Beverly had set it up for them to drink free as part of their agreement for playing. They were already a couple shots in and politely offered him a drink when he sat. 

They likely hadn’t been expecting him to actually take him up on that but eagerly poured him a generous shot of whiskey and slid the glass to him. Stan was watching with disbelief as Eddie cleanly slammed the shot back in one go. 

He winced at the harsh after burn and residual taste. Eddie shamelessly grabbed what was probably Bill’s coke, given his indigent complaint, before taking a healthy drink to wash it down. Already he was feeling a little more at ease with himself with the pleasant warmth settling in his chest. 

Eddie figured another couldn’t hurt but by the time the concert was starting he was three or four shots deep and slightly tipsy. He wasn’t far enough that he had showed it, but everything was feeling good and he was unabashed about pulling Stan, Bill in tow, up closer to the stage through more than a few groups of people. 

He somehow managed to miss almost all of Beverly’s entire intro speech for The Loser’s Club because he was caught off guard by how hot Richie looked under stage lights with his guitar. His hair was messy in a way that really worked for him, especially with the blinding smile he was currently sporting. 

In the back of his mind he could feel the start of an ‘oh shit’ realization but for now he was safe in his alcohol haze and cheering wildly with his friends. 

Everything was going incredibly well, the mix of covered and original songs were well received by the club goers and Eddie was steadily pushed towards the front of the stage, only because he refused to let anyone get in front of him and was more than willing to elbow people to keep his spot. 

It wasn’t until Richie walked over to Bev to whisper something in her ear that Eddie pulled out of his concert daze- something about being surrounded by equally excited people spurred him on further to let go of his inebriation and keep hyping them up. 

Eddie wasn’t sure if he should laugh or scream when Beverly made a quick hand motion to the band before announcing their last song as Hips Don’t Lie. 

Richie was grinning at him knowingly and wiggled his brows suggestively at him when he caught Eddie’s eyes. Bill was losing it next to him when he realized what was going on and he deeply regretted telling them about that night. 

Not even that long into the song Bev was winking and half-jokingly motioning him to join them. Eddie truly was beginning to question his choice of friends because even _Stan_ joined in on trying to get him on stage. 

It wasn’t until Beverly literally held her hand down for him that he decided _fuck it._

He was tipsy enough not to be embarrassed so why not enjoy himself. 

Richie looked particularly shocked by the development and was full on laughing, which wasn’t boding well for their cover because he was supposed to be doing the male vocals. 

Eddie figured it couldn’t possibly be worse than karaoke and he was already doing the worst by adding little dance moves to Bev’s performance. 

Sure, there was a much larger crowd that was almost deafening now that he wasn’t part of it, but he knew the cue was coming up. 

Fuck it. 

He made his way over to Richie, who was still trying to get his giggles under control over Eddie’s performance. 

Eddie cleared his throat and to the best of his abilities took Richie’s part. No one was booing him and if anything, that only spurred him on, although he did choose not to look in the direction that Bill and Stan were. 

He dared a quick glance at Richie, who’d stopped giggling but hadn’t stopped him; he was watching with what Eddie might even consider awe. Eddie had to look away and could feel his face heating up with pride. 

The song finally ended and left him feeling like he was living a fever dream or like he blacked out for the past few minutes. Stan and Bill were practically howling now and because they were so close to the stage Eddie could hear them quite distinctly from the rest of the crowd. He smiled shyly at them and waved, which only set them off further. 

Beverly waited for the crowd to settle down a bit before she started to wrap up and thank everyone for coming to support them. 

“But let’s hear it for our local Spaghetti Man!” Richie interrupted and pulled Eddie to be more in front of him. 

Eddie elbowed him weakly but didn’t bother to correct him with a proper name. 

There was another spattering of applause and he was convinced it was only because most of the crowd was well on its way to being drunk. 

He stuck around to help them move the equipment backstage and then waited for the band to finish up enough to join Stan and Bill. Richie kept him close to his side, occasionally reaching out to touch his arm or shoulder for a few moments- not that Eddie was particularly good at keeping his hands to himself either considering he was guilty of the same things. 

Thankfully Bill and Stan had made their way closer to where The Loser’s Club would be leaving so it was easy to find them. Most of the crowd had moved back over towards the designated dance floor or the bar area, so they didn’t even have to gradually work their way over. 

Richie was rapidly telling them about his favorite mixed drink and taking a head count of everyone drinking to make them try it. Mike, Beverly, and surprisingly enough Bill were the only ones to turn him down. 

“I can’t be too hungover because Mr. Henderson won’t go easy on me,” Bill lamented. 

“Wait,” Ben stopped him. “You mean _Mr. Henderson_ the writing teacher?” 

“Yeah?” he said confused. 

“Oh damn,” Ben started smiling. “We must go to the same uni!” 

“Shit,” Bill grinned. “Are you a writing major too?” 

“Minor actually,” he corrected and accepted the horrendously colored liquid from Richie. “Architecture major.” 

“You should start studying with us,” Bill offered. 

“Jeez, Mike keeping us to yourself,” Stan chided jokingly because he was listening in. 

Mike shrugged and passed him a glass from Richie, not saying a word otherwise. 

There was only one more glass left, and Eddie wasn’t sure to be offended that Richie didn’t order one for him- that was until he was carefully holding the glass out to him. 

“Aren’t you going to drink one?” Eddie asked unsure, taking the glass anyway. 

He shrugged and smiled softly, “Don’t feel like drinking.” 

Eddie pursed his lips and quietly securitized the drink, sniffing at it to see if he could find anything wrong with it. 

“Okay,” he said suspiciously and meekly took a sip. 

He was surprised at how good it tasted, there wasn’t even much of an alcohol taste which led him to wanting to believe that it wasn’t really that strong. However, the heavy growing warmth he could feel made him know that it was just deceptive with its taste. 

“What’s in this?” he asked Richie. 

He draped himself along the back of Eddie’s barstool and shrugged, “I’d could tell you but then you wouldn’t need me to order you another one.” 

Eddie rolled his eyes but accepted that as an answer. He could deal with having to keep Richie around for his drink orders. 

“Hey Eddie,” Beverly called from a few stools down. “You should join our band,” she told him once she had his attention. 

“Absolutely not,” Eddie called back. “I nearly shat myself up there.” 

They were laughing at him, but Eddie wasn’t sure how much of that was him actually joking. Being on stage like that was nerve wracking. 

“It was fun though, right?” Richie asked so that only he could hear, his voice tickling his ear. 

“A little,” he admitted quietly, leaning back towards him. 

Richie’s thumb brushed his bicep and Eddie downed the rest of the drink in a few gulps. 

“Can I get another?” he asked turning to look at Richie expectantly. 

“Yeah, just take it easy; these aren’t exactly weak,” he smiled nervously and went to go talk with the bartender about it. 

Eddie sighed relieved and shook his head when Stan, who’d seen the exchange, raised his eyebrow at him. 

Stan kept looking at him knowingly and he was immensely grateful when Richie returned with the new glass. 

“I don’t know if we should stick around much longer if you’re going to keep drinking like that,” Richie mused as he watched Eddie down a good portion of the drink. 

“Let him live, he just got out a bad relationship,” Bill laughed overhearing. 

“I’ll drink to that,” Beverly grinned, raising the can of sprite she’d been nursing. 

They all clinked their various drinks together much to Eddie’s embarrassment, but he was also really happy. Richie squeezed his shoulder since he was the only one without a drink in hand. 

It wasn’t like they were wrong about it being a bad relationship and truthfully now that it was over, he was feeling much better. Eddie decided that for once he was going to let himself drink as much as he wanted, consequences be damned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a day later than I wanted but not much I can say about my allergy medication making me very sleepy. I feel asleep curled with my laptop lol.
> 
> Anyways! Thank you guys for all the support; I'm still in shock every time I check up on it tbh. ^^;;


	21. Getting wasted and cheekbones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie's drunk and Richie is having a crisis. Someone help him please.

By his third drink Eddie was past tipsy and onto pleasantly buzzed. 

“Richie!” He said excitedly, turning in his chair. “We should dance!” 

Richie caught off guard and still completely sober supposed there was no harm in it, most of the group had split off to do just that anyway. 

“Yeah, sounds fun,” he smiled. 

“Fuck yeah, it does!” Eddie cheered and grabbed Richie’s arm to pull him into the throng of people. 

He clung close to Richie, his hands firmly moving to his shoulders and staying there. Richie’s hands settled on his hips and they moved a bit awkwardly with the slower songs. 

“Shit,” Richie hissed when Eddie accidentally stepped on his foot. 

“Sorry Rich,” he giggled but didn’t let Richie put in space between them when he tried to step back and save his toes. 

“It’s fine,” he sighed and wound his arms more around Eddie’s back, more as a hug than anything. “Just maybe more swaying and less of that.” 

Eddie whined but fell into it with Richie. 

Eventually the music’s tone shifted into something more energetic... more sexual in nature and Eddie wiggled excitedly in Richie’s arms. 

“Rich, I wanna grind on you,” Eddie said, and Richie was sure his soul completely left his body at that. 

He didn’t recover in time to talk him out of it and Eddie had already shifted so that his back was plastered to Richie. 

Eddie carefully moved his hands to his hips and smiled flirtatiously over his shoulder. 

Richie had to repeatedly remind himself that Eddie was drunk. People did dumb shit they didn’t mean when they were drunk. 

But goddamn was this some of the better dumb shit. 

He swallowed thickly as Eddie successfully twisted and shifted himself fluidly. 

“You can touch,” he leaned back and whispered unintentionally seductive at Richie. Eddie slowly guided his trembling hands up over his torso. 

Richie was sweating bullets over the consent of this. Eddie was the one with all the control and obviously he wouldn’t let this go anywhere but he really didn’t want to scare off the only roommate he wanted to live with over this. 

He should stop him, right? 

“_Richieee_,” Eddie whined and turned so that he was now facing him again. “You’re really bad at dancing.” 

“And you are drunk,” Richie countered relieved that his moral dilemma was on hold for the time being. 

Eddie sighed and put his head onto his chest. 

They swayed slowly despite the fast-paced music for a few more moments before Richie spoke up again. 

“We should go home.” 

“Where’s Mike?” Eddie asked, tilting his head to look up at him from his chest. 

“Mike? Why do we need Mike?” Richie’s brow furrowed, completely confused. 

“You said he would drive us if I got drunk,” Eddie said slowly drawing out the words thoughtfully. 

“Oh yeah,” Richie remembered. “Well, I lied; I’ll drive us back.” 

“You drive?” Eddie skeptically looked at him, eyes big and glossy and very distracting. 

“Yeah,” Richie said after a beat too long. “Give me the keys, I got it.” 

“Only because I’m drunk,” Eddie gave in after some thinking. He pulled his keys out and pressed them into Richie’s hand. “Let’s go, I’m tired now.” 

Richie laughed and hoped he wouldn’t mess up Eddie’s car, it had been a hot minute since he last had to drive a car; but he was confident he could still manage. They’d just take things slowly and that wasn’t just because Richie wasn’t the best with directions. 

He made sure that Eddie was comfortably in the car before getting in on the driver’s side and adjusting the seat accordingly for his lanky legs. Once he was content with that, he started the car and carefully backed out of the parking lot. There weren’t many cars parked behind them so at least he had the peace of mind that he wouldn’t hit one by going too far. 

Driving was a skill that stuck with Richie thankfully, so he was able to remember most of the safety rules by the time they’d gotten to the main road. Eddie was eerily quiet but that was fine, he still had the poppin’ Spanish channel playing on low. 

He made the mistake of checking on Eddie when he reached a red light and almost had a heart attack because Eddie was already staring back at him, not only that but he had the softest dopey smile that was just too much for his heart. 

“Um, what’s up Eds?” Richie asked anxiously as he adjusted his grip on the wheel. 

Eddie hummed and shrugged, shuffling in his seat a bit, “Just watching.” 

“I can see that,” Richie giggled. “Any reason why?” 

“You’re really pretty,” he said so seriously that Richie almost missed the light turning green. 

“Oh...” he nodded dumbly, starting to blush under the attention. 

“I mean it,” Eddie continued. “You have really good hair.” 

“Thanks, I guess,” Richie laughed nervously really not sure how to take that. He took one hand off the wheel to run a hand through his once neat curls that had steadily broken free of the hair gel he’d put on earlier. It felt greasy more than anything else and he knew it was tangled but having Eddie say that had him feeling all sorts of things- most of them good. 

“Your face is nice too,” he complimented and Richie’s face burned under the weight of his stare. “Lots of freckles and those cheekbones could cut me... can I touch it?” 

“Uh, not while I’m driving?” Richie swallowed thickly. 

For god’s sake he was incubus and here he was getting all flustered over some stupid drunk words. He’d heard so much more from people he’d only known for a few minutes, but maybe that’s what made these ones special. 

Eddie didn’t have to say them; normally he wouldn’t. 

Richie was sure these compliments would stay with him longer than he’d like. It was his fault for catching feelings on someone unattainable though. 

Really he was being ridiculous, he’d known Eddie for a little less than a month at this point. Eddie wasn’t even his usual type- he was abrasive and fought with him constantly over the pettiest of things, he liked to make fun of him and wasn’t the most receptive to his flirting... but even with all of these things Richie just liked him more. 

He liked that Eddie humored his stupid scenarios and took his dumb comments serious enough to counter them. Eddie kept him on his toes and helped Richie accept his flaws, not only that but when he did respond to his flirting it was the most satisfying feeling. Plus he at least seemed to be equally as into skinship as he was- going as far as to throw his legs into Richie’s lap on the couch some mornings. 

“Sorry, what was that?” Richie asked finally not zoning out. 

“Will you stay with me tonight?” 

“We live together?” Richie slowly said confused, glancing over at him for a few seconds. Eddie had drawn his legs up onto the seat with him and his shoes had been toed off at some point. He caught one last glimpse of Eddie planting his face into his knees before focusing on the road. 

“Richieee,” he whined only mildly muffled from his position. 

“What?” he asked, looking over quickly to see Eddie turning to pout at him. 

Shit. That was cute. 

“Sleep with me.” 

“WHAT!” Richie almost swerved the car off the road but managed to correct it quickly. His heart was in his throat and his pulse was racing both from Eddie and their near-death experience. 

“I don’t wanna be alone,” Eddie explained calmly, as if he didn’t notice them almost crashing. “’sides the couch isn’t that comfy; you should just stay with me.” 

“Oh, right,” Richie calmed down a bit. 

“I wanna cuddle,” Eddie whined a bit needy. 

“Okay, okay,” Richie said quietly, mostly to himself while he was running the pros and cons. 

“Yay!” he cheered taking Richie’s small meltdown as an answer and honestly fuck it. 

Richie was tired and they weren’t going to do anything anyway. It was going to be a nice bit of platonic cuddling shared between two roommates- nothing weird. 

His heart was still doing little flips when he finally pulled into Eddie’s usual parking spot and he almost jumped out of his skin when Eddie’s hand reached out towards his face. Eddie’s gently brushed his finger against his cheekbone and Richie wasn’t entirely sure if they hadn’t crashed and died earlier. 

He smiled impishly and was out the car before Richie could even question it. 

Richie took a deep breath and took the keys out of the ignition. 

This was going to be a long night. 

Eddie was stretching lazily when Richie finally felt calm enough to get out of the car. He debated giving him back his car keys but figured he could just leave them on the kitchen counter. Richie didn’t have much time to stand around because Eddie was already motioning him to follow with a tilt of his head. 

They almost took the stairs, but Richie didn’t want to deal with having to carry Eddie if he ended up being too drunk to properly get up them without twisting his ankle. Richie wasn’t sure he could survive holding him that close for that long; he already wasn’t sure he could share a bed. He was debating how long it would take Eddie to fall asleep so that he could comfortably sneak out, but then again Richie wasn’t sure if he’d be able to do that if they were cuddling. 

His energy was slowly replenishing just from the casual touches that became routine around the apartment and he was becoming dependent on Eddie in a way. Everyone tended to give off a slightly different energy and slowly he was feeling a shift in what Eddie’s felt like. 

It started off as light, almost cottony and was moving towards something too familiar- like putting on an old favorite sweater. He wasn’t used to wholesome attachments from people who summoned him and that’s probably what initially drew him in to wanting to stick around. Richie was actually quite greedy and wanted to take as much of that feeling that Eddie was willing to provide him with. 

If he was being completely transparent, Richie could have left a few days ago. He hadn’t meant to build a real life out here; it wasn’t custom for demons of his caliber. 

Now that he had it though, he was reluctant to let it go; Richie wanted to keep playing with his band and get to hear more about Bill and Stan from Eddie. 

He didn’t want to go at all and it hurt. 

Eddie started leaning against Richie for additional support and had buried his face half into Richie’s sleeve. 

“You’re thinking too hard,” he murmured poked at his face. “It’s all scrunched up and sad; I don’t like it.” 

Richie’s breath caught in his throat and he broke out into a bittersweet half smile. 

“My bad,” he said as the doors opened up on their floor. 

Eddie made a soft sound but didn’t actually say anything else as they got off the elevator together. Richie fumbled a bit with the lock but managed to get the key in and the door opened within a less than a minute. 

He was still jittery and a bit shaken by his realizations but that was okay. 

Eddie had let go of him in favor of brushing his teeth. 

Richie decided to set a glass of water and some aspirin out for him before he brushed his, mostly so he could avoid him for a few moments. He was pretty sure this wasn’t good for his heart which was ridiculous when he considered all the far more sinful things he’d done in his past. 

He bumped into Eddie on the way out of his bedroom and was now almost positive they’d really died in a tragic car accident because he had unbuttoned his shirt halfway. 

“Sorry Rich,” he said not looking up from what he was doing. 

“No problem,” Richie slowly responded and had to drag his eyes away. 

“I’m going to brush my teeth,” he announced and then rushed away from the situation. 

Eddie was unfairly hot for a nerdy college student and now he would have to live with the knowledge that he had the strong start of a six pack under his shirts. He’d known he was toned but Jesus Christ, that just wasn’t good for his mental well-being. 

Richie stuck his face straight under the cold faucet for as long as he could bear before he actually started brushing his teeth. He honestly wasn’t even sure if Eddie genuinely didn’t know what he was doing to him or not. 

He had been brushing his teeth much slower and longer than necessary but then Eddie strolled in and perched himself up onto the counter next to him so he couldn’t exactly keep up his charade. 

Richie could feel foamy toothpaste driveling down his chin by this point which was not attractive but at least Eddie had a pajama shirt on which had to count for something. He was, however, wearing another pair of shorts that heavily accented his thighs in the best way possible. 

“You’re taking forever,” Eddie complained kicking his feet against the cupboard impatiently. 

The imagery from earlier was still in the forefront of his mind and it combined with the new visual of the shorts. He quickly spit out the toothpaste to avoid his eye for a tad bit longer. 

It really wasn’t fair that he looked so messy in comparison. 

“Sorry,” he said feeling quite the opposite as he ran the faucet and rinsed his mouth out. 

“Just finish up already, I want to sleep,” Eddie yawned. 

Richie splashed some more cold water on his face and then dried it off with a hand towel knowing that he couldn’t delay it anymore. 

“Alright, let’s go,” he said and offered his hand to Eddie, who accepted it graciously and hopped off the counter top. 

He was all jittery again and he hated it but secretly may have also enjoyed the fact that Eddie made him nervous. It was a nice change of pace to actually be worried over what someone else thought of him, to not immediately be wanted. Still he wished his heart would dislodge itself from his throat where it was currently making itself at home. Richie wasn’t the one to drink and yet he felt like he was going to throw up he was so anxious. 

“Make sure I stay on my side,” Eddie mumbled sleepily as he crawled into his bed and pat the spot next to him for Richie. 

“Yeah, sure,” he nodded mindlessly as he took in the complete lack of space on the bed. Eddie’s bed was basically a glorified twin and he was staring to question the logistics of how they would get this to work. 

Richie carefully lifted the corner of the blanket and slid into the space next to Eddie leaving a wide gap of space between them- which basically left him with half his body dangling off the bed. 

Eddie whined and pat the space between them a little more aggressively, “You’re too far.” 

He gulped and fully shimmed his way into the bed, acutely aware of everywhere they happened to be touching. 

It wasn’t very different from the few times they’d happen to fall asleep together on the couch, but it felt bigger because this was _Eddie’s bed._

Richie choked back a surprised yelp when Eddie shifted his way into his side making himself right at home in the juncture of his shoulder. 

“Night, Rich,” he whispered and closed his eyes. 

“Yeah, goodnight, Eds,” he whispered shell-shocked and not likely to actually be going to sleep anytime soon. Slowly he relaxed into it and let himself hold Eddie, carefully draping his arm over his waist and trying not to have a heart attack when it brushed against the exposed skin from Eddie’s shirt having ridden up slightly. 

This was fine. 

He was not having a crisis over cuddling with his drunk crush, who probably wouldn’t remember this in the morning. 

They’d done this before, but he still was conflicted over the contextuality of this and consent. The last thing he wanted was to make Eddie uncomfortable and while Eddie had been the one to offer, Richie felt like he should have tried to get out of it a little more. 

Eddie threw his leg over Richie’s and cut off any coherent thought he managed thus far. His reasoning was still solid, but it had fizzled out and he was reminded that this was actually happening. 

Richie let himself stop worrying about it for tonight. 

He started to drift off when the sunlight started peeking through the cracked curtains.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ngl, Eddie's drunk actions are based of one of my classmates who couldn't stop flirting with everyone when he got slightly drunk.  
Perks of being the designated driver is that you get to watch and remember all the random things drunk/tipsy people do. Plus your drinks are usually free.


	22. Drama and revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie gets hurt.  
Eddie stands up for himself...  
and also realizes something.

Eddie woke up once again to knocking for the first time in a while. 

His head was killing him, and he was fervently regretting letting himself go wild drinking; at least his bed was warm. The knocking was showing no sign of stopping so he reluctantly opened his bleary eyes in preparation to get up and deal with it. 

He vaguely recalled Richie getting into bed with him, so it wasn’t too much of a shock, his breath still caught in his throat though and he shivered a bit realizing that he hadn’t done this purposely in ages. It was nice not to wake up this way on the couch for once. 

The knocking persisted and he groaned finally pushing himself away from Richie, his head buzzing angrily. He found the pills and glass of water and lazily drank up as he went, shoving his phone into his short’s pockets. Hopefully this wouldn’t take too long and he could return before Richie had woken up all the way. 

Sunlight from the window irritated his migraine further so he started his morning with making sure that they were fully closed so he wouldn’t have to worry about that after the fact. Eddie found himself being really into the idea of having someone to return to and didn’t bother making himself presentable for whoever was on the other side of the door. 

“Hell-ooo,” Eddie trailed off upon opening the door. 

“Ma?” he asked incredulously, in disbelief that she would bother making a trip all the way down here. 

“Eddie-kins,” she cooed and got up into his space to hug him fully, successfully letting herself into his apartment in the process. 

“What are you doing here?” he asked, following her as she made herself at home on the couch. 

“You don’t like it when I visit?” she asked innocently as she regarded Richie’s blankets distastefully. 

“No, that’s not the point, Ma,” Eddie sighed exasperated. The point was that she never made it a point to visit him, he was always the one to get tickets back home; not only that but it was too close to his breakup and Eddie had a bad feeling about _that._

“We need to talk about your relationship with Myra,” she tutted, and Eddie was already dreading that whole confrontation despite having seen it coming from miles away. “Have you been taking your medications like a good boy?” 

“I’m a grown man, Ma, I can make my own choices,” he explained and perched himself as far from her as he could on the sofa nervously, wishing his head would stop swimming. 

“I know that, but I don’t think you’re mature enough to-” 

“Enough,” Eddie cut her off not wanting to hear it. 

Down the hall he could hear the tell-tale signs of Richie getting up- the rustle of bed springs and then the subtle cry of his bedroom door hinges. He will himself not to let his distress show on his face and tried to stay calm. 

“Eddie,” his mother accused him aghast. “Are you cheating on Myra?” 

“...Is this a bad time?” Richie asked, rubbing his eyes from the doorway. 

“Ma, this is my roommate Richie,” Eddie sighed and wished he had never opened the door. 

Her face twisted up like she’d eaten a lemon, but Richie took it all in stride. 

“Nice to meet you Ms. K,” he grinned what was actually an inviting smile and held out his hand. 

“Eddie,” she said coldly, completely ignoring Richie’s presence. “We’ve talked about this.” 

His blood ran cold; he remembered multiple nights where he had to convince her that there wasn’t anything going on with Bill. He recalled countless threats to forcefully end their friendship if he tried to stay overnight for any reason other than schoolwork; but that was then and this was now. 

“Ma, I’m an adult now,” he said surprised at how steely he sounded to himself. “There’s nothing you can take away from me.” 

“We can get you help; I know some people who can help you,” she offered. “We can get you new medications.” 

“I think it’s time you leave,” he frowned, avoiding looking at Richie. Eddie hadn’t ever wanted them to meet. 

“This is all because of this dirty boy isn’t it?” she accused getting into his space again and wildly gesturing over to Richie. 

Eddie was starting to crumple in on himself, he was never very good at following through. 

“He said you should leave,” Richie said coldly and pulled her away from Eddie. 

“Don’t touch me,” she screeched and yanked her arm away from him, getting off the couch in the process. “You corrupted my son, you _vile boy!”_

“Your son has asked you to leave,” Richie empathized and pointed to the door. 

“I won’t take orders from you!” she crossed her arms. “He’s my son and I’ll stay as long as I like, right _Eddie-kins,” _the word dripped acidic from her lips. 

Eddie didn’t answer but that was fine because she wasn’t looking for one anyways. 

Richie rolled his eyes, “Would you just leave already?” He reached out and started to lightly guide her towards the front door. 

“Eddie, I’ll schedule you to go to camp; it’ll be okay,” his mom assured, pushing Richie’s hands away. 

“Camp?” Richie froze up, hands hovering midair. 

“They’ll fix you right up,” she continued, ignoring Richie who looked progressively horrified as understanding dawned on him. 

“That’s not something you can ‘fix’,” Richie said slowly, much paler than when he’d entered the room. “You need to go,” he stressed and pushed her harder. 

“I said don’t touch me!” She yelped and slapped him hard enough to make an audible sound. A loud crack that seemingly echoed in Eddie's ears.

Eddie found himself no longer looking on as an onlooker and stood up to shove himself between his mother and Richie. 

“Leave,” he hissed, glaring daggers at his mother. 

Eddie was pissed, beyond pissed. How dare she insert herself into his home and attack his roommate like that. She’d finally gone too far. 

He could handle her threatening to never let him hangout with his friends again; there were ways around that. 

He would take the “medications” if it meant that she would leave him alone but _this... _

_**Fuck** this. _

“I said _leave.”_

Her lip wobbled and a couple crocodile tears ran down her cheek but she did go to the door. 

“Eddie,” she begged hand on the doorknob. 

“No,” Eddie shook his head. “Do I need to call the cops?” 

Some more tears but she resigned herself and left the apartment. 

Eddie groaned and rubbed his temples, very grateful that this part of his apartment lacked windows. The fluorescent lights were not helping his headache and after that he just wanted to crawl back into bed and sleep for a week. 

“Are you okay?” Richie asked meekly as he gently rested his hand on Eddie’s shoulder. 

He groaned and shook his head, “No, are you okay?” 

Eddie turned and gingerly reached up to brush his fingers along where Richie’s cheek had turned red from the slap. He frowned and wished he could go back and slap his mother instead. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered feeling entirely responsible for it. 

“Eddie,” Richie smiled gently- bittersweet, “It’s okay, that’s not your fault and I’m fine.” 

He chewed his lip and nodded before he wrapped his arms fully around Richie, closing his eyes and feeling his guilt regardless. “I’m still sorry you had to see that then.” 

“And I’m sorry that you had to grow up with that,” Richie countered, one of his hands coming up to rest on the back of Eddie’s head and the other wrapping around his waist. 

Eddie crumpled into Richie, fully nuzzling into his chest soaking in the proximity. He was hungover, upset, and drained. 

Richie gently walked them back to the couch and pulled Eddie into his lap allowing him to stay where he was- which Eddie was praising the lord for. He resituated himself and ended up with his face in the crook of Richie’s neck. 

It was so different to what he was used to when he had dated, not that he had much experience aside from Myra, but this was... right. 

This was _right._

The strong arms and firm body cradling him. Eddie wasn’t sure why he hadn’t realized it fully before; he liked being held by guys... 

He liked guys. 

He liked guys? 

Had he always liked guys? 

Eddie quietly had his crisis unbeknownst to Richie and realized that yeah, he had always been into guys. He could see why his mother was so suspicious of his relationship with Bill. 

He sat up rigidly and looked at Richie alarmed. 

“Richie, I had a crush on Bill,” Eddie said dead seriously, almost in awe of the revelation. 

“Uh, yeah me too?” Richie asked. “What’s your point?” 

Eddie slapped his shoulder lighted and pouted, “_I_ had a crush on Bill; I like guys.” 

“Okay and...?” he continued, head tilted to the side adorably. 

“_I’m **gay**_,” Eddie hissed ferally and slapped his hands over his cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're finally getting to the point where I can physically not write them pining any longer lmao.  
I love pining scenes but man... this is a lot even for me.


	23. Being self aware for once

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brief return of the texting bc I couldn't hack it out otherwise.

Richie seemed to catch on quickly to what was going on after that and smiled softly, rubbing gentle circles onto his hip. 

“So how do you feel about that?” Richie asked softly. 

“I don’t know,” Eddie sighed and leaned back into him. 

“I should tell the others,” he murmured into his shoulder, eyes closed already exhausted before the day properly started. 

“You don’t have to,” Richie said gently. 

“Stan,” Eddie decided abruptly. “I should text Stan, he’d know what to say and... Mike too I guess.” 

Stan was basically his designated therapy bestie at this point; plus he didn’t grow up with Eddie and would spare the embarrassing damning evidence of his unaware gay awakening. Mike was included because he was smart and wasn’t that close to him yet, it was a show of trust and would get him used to the idea of telling others. 

Richie hummed and squeezed his hip, “Whatever you’re comfortable with.” 

Eddie closed his eyes and just let himself be alone with his thoughts. He felt surprisingly okay despite realizing that he’d been lying to himself for so long- although maybe that’s what helped in the long run. At least he was always _sort of_ aware in the back of his mind. 

He inhaled deeply and smiled a bit even though Richie still smelled like spilled alcohol and dried sweat from the concert. They’d been living together for long enough that he was a familiar scent, musky and spicy because Eddie had switched his soap out for something that smelled fantastic on Richie. 

Honestly that should have been his first red flag for not being completely straight. 

Once Eddie felt like he knew what he wanted to say to Stan he shuffled so that his back was against the armrest, Richie moved to accommodate the shifting. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and blindly made a motion at the blanket. 

Richie grabbed it and lazily threw it over them much to Eddie’s pleasure. 

“Thanks,” he murmured as he leaned into Richie. 

“Course,” Richie returned his arm wrapping around Eddie’s back to hold him close, Eddie wasn’t sure what to make of his pulse rushing. He could hear Richie’s heart steadily and smiled. 

...Oh. 

Oh, shit; he _liked_ Richie. Fuck. 

He probably had been crushing for a while now, Eddie realized and quickly pulled up Stan’s individual contact to distract himself. 

**“Stan U.” **

**November 21, 2019 **

**Eddie (10:43):** Stan, can we talk? 

**Stan U. (10:43):** Sure, what’s up? 

**Eddie:** I’m gay 

Eddie hurriedly tossed his phone to the other side of the couch and plastered himself into a hug, heart racing. “I did it,” he mumbled into his shirt, face turning red over what he’d just done. His phone buzzed on the other side of the couch but he wasn’t ready to check it, even though it wasn’t likely to be bad news. 

“Eds, do you want me to look for you?” Richie said gently, hands kneading his shoulders a bit in a way that was extremely comforting. 

Eddie nodded and didn’t move, making Richie awkwardly shuffle/lean to get his phone. The screen was likely still lit up and displaying their conversation since Richie didn’t have to ask for his passcode. 

Richie chuckled after a few moments and nudged the phone into Eddie’s hand when he looked up, “You’ll want to read that.” 

**“Stan U.” **

**November 21, 2019 **

**Stan U. (10:43):** Yeah? Same?? 

**Stan U.:** That was rude; was it Bill, Mike, or Richie? 

**Stan U. (10:44):** Eddie? 

**Stan U. (10:45):** I’m sorry Eddie; I’m super proud of you 

**Stan U.:** Thanks for telling me 

**Eddie (10:46):** Sorry, was having a break down 

**Stan U.:** Still gay post break down? 

**Eddie:** Yeah 

**Stan U.:** ...So was it Bill, Mike, or Richie? 

Eddie left that message on read and locked his phone putting to on the side table. 

“I’m exhausted, can we go back to bed?” he asked more serious than joking. 

“What about your classes?” 

Eddie groaned picked his phone off and sent a few emails off explaining that he wouldn’t be in class. 

“There, taken care of,” he flashed the screen at Richie before letting it drop to the couch again. 

“Good enough for me,” Richie shrugged and then effortlessly picked him up; Eddie’s breath caught and he clutched at Richie’s shoulders. 

“Richie?” he asked marginally breathless. 

“Hm?” Richie hummed cheekily, smirking in a way that Eddie knew meant that he was fully aware of what he was doing to Eddie’s heart- at least to some degree. 

Eddie felt a bit exposed even though he knew that there wasn’t any way that Richie could possibly know about his developing crush. He knew that he should be saying a quip about what was happening, but his mind was drawing a blank- Richie was just so warm and he couldn’t think straight. 

Richie heaved him up in his arms and then tossed him unceremoniously onto his bed where he bounced twice before settling. 

“What the fuck, Richard,” he complained darkly as he sat up, rubbing his head against the waves of nausea. 

“Oh shit,” Richie cursed and crawled onto the bed, kneeling with his hands coming up to Eddie’s shoulders. “I forgot you were still hungover, my bad,” he said at the very least looking apologetic. 

“Ugh, you’re so fucking dumb,” he hissed and pulled Richie down to cuddle. “You’re very warm though,” Eddie added on sweetly as an afterthought. 

Richie hummed and rolled over, successfully making himself the little spoon. 

Eddie was glad he wouldn’t be able to see his blush over what happened but also was a bit overwhelmed now that he didn’t have the haze of alcohol to hide behind. He pressed his forehead against the back of Richie’s neck because that was the best he could do with their height differences and closed his eyes. 

Now that he was coming to terms with his feelings, Eddie started to pick up on things that he hadn’t earlier- how they were always touching in someway whenever they were in the living room, the way that they would skirt around each other in the kitchen, why he thought Richie’s arms looked fantastic in a tight shirts. (Eddie filed that last thought away to examine further later.) 

He wasn’t sure when it started but he knew he was gone. 

Eddie was so far gone that he couldn’t believe no one thought to let him know about it... Although he supposed that Stan had tried in his own way to guide him towards that conclusion- always giving him certain looks and nudging him when he rambled about something Richie had done. 

OH **shit.** There was no way that they hadn’t connected the dots yet. 

Bill definitely would know that something was up. He’d grown up with Eddie after all and they knew each other like nothing else. It was amazing that he didn’t call Eddie out when they were younger for crushing on him. 

Then again, he wasn’t really out yet and was only just coming to terms. 

“I want to tell them,” he whispered against his neck, when he started to doze off. 

“Do you want me to help plan it or just keep it low key?” Richie responded voice thickened and slowed with sleepy haze. Eddie hadn’t realized he was still awake but was comforted by the comradery. 

“I don’t know,” he sighed and squeezed Richie subconsciously. 

“Just get some sleep, worry about it later,” Richie mumbled, his hand laying over Eddie’s. 

Eddie hummed and let himself be carried away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah boy, Eddie is finally becoming self aware! We're so proud of him. :,)
> 
> Also Stan can be a sassy snark if he wants to, but only on occasion as a treat for putting up with them.


	24. Coming out and caffeine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie, as the title suggests, comes out and there's coffee too I guess.

Over the next couple days, Eddie had become overly aware of how much time he was spending with Richie. He slowly started to stop casually touching him so much because he was worried that he was displaying too much, especially now that he was out to him. 

Richie kept his word about helping Eddie decide how to tell their friends and even offered to bake a cake for the affair. (Eddie politely declined but Richie still made the cake anyways just because he already had the ingredients and the ambition.) 

Today was the day he was going to officially out himself to the group and they already had made the plans to get together at relatively nice coffee shop off campus. 

Eddie was terrified but also excited about it and didn’t even scold Richie when he served them a couple slices of chocolate cake for breakfast. He had to admit that Richie was pretty good at baking, not that there was much to compare it to considering that up until recently Eddie was sworn off any thing overly sweet, greasy, or salty. He’d almost asked for seconds, just because it was amazing paired with the tall glass of milk Richie insisted was essential. 

“Are you ready for this?” Richie asked curiously, draping his arm around Eddie’s shoulder from the back of the couch. 

“I think so,” Eddie grinned, minutely adjusting so that they weren’t quite touching. If Richie noticed, it didn’t show on his face. 

“Only... a couple hours left,” Richie mused, looking over at the clock to make sure he had the right time. 

Eddie nodded and continued to pretend to be watching the science channel, only that he noticed it was actually the cooking channel and he wasn’t sure when that shift had occurred. “Do you think I should change?” he asked for the fourth time since they’d decided to meet up today. 

“I still think what you’re wearing is fine,” Richie smiled wryly, patting his shoulder comfortingly. 

“It’s fine,” Eddie repeated to himself nodding and then nervously reached up to smooth his hair again. 

“Your hair is fine too,” Richie commented bemused. 

“I don’t think I can wait any longer!” Eddie complained, throwing his head back exasperated. He felt like he was going to crawl out of his skin at any moment. 

“Let’s just go early then,” Richie shrugged. “Go see the sights.” 

“What sights?” Eddie shot back unamused. 

“I don’t know, I don’t live here; show me around?” Richie offered, making Eddie remember that Richie really didn’t know what there was in the city. He’d only seen what Eddie or Bev had taken him to and maybe that was a little unfair; maybe he was a shitty roommate. 

“Go get your shoes, I’m going to drive you around,” Eddie decided getting up to check his hair just one last time. 

Richie didn’t seem to have any complaints and before he even had time to process that there wasn’t enough time before when they were supposed to meet up and the time needed for a full tour, Eddie was cruising down main street with Richie sitting shotgun. 

Eddie calmed down considerably as he rambled to Richie about certain key features and stores around town. It helped that he seemed to know when to ask questions and when to just let Eddie run his mouth, it was very soothing to have someone listen to him even if it was just about how disgusting pigeons were and that he didn’t go to that park specifically because of them. 

“We should go to the park sometime,” Richie mused at that point. 

“Over my dead body,” Eddie seethed, glaring at the pigeons that were minding their own business. 

“Not this one particularly, just a park,” Richie shrugged. 

Eddie was still caught up on diseases pigeons could carry but he could see the appeal of parks. “I’ll think about it,” he caved, already debating where the safest park would be. Stan would probably know, he’d have to ask him about it. 

Ten minutes later, he was already fleshing out a proper plan for the outing. 

Another five minutes would go by before he realized that they were late to an event that _he_ scheduled. 

“Fuck. Shit. Fuuuuuck,” Eddie eloquently complained as he sped up just a hair above the speed limit. “Why didn’t you say anything?” he stressed, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. 

“We won’t even be _that_ late, don’t worry about it,” Richie soothed gently, looking a little rattled by the development. 

“Text the group chat that we’re on our way,” Eddie sighed, slumping back because there really wasn’t anything he could even do about it now. 

They were only around fifteen minutes late, but Eddie was starting to consider just going back to the apartment and trying again another time. 

“This is it, how are you feeling?” Richie asked as he rested a hand onto his knee. 

“A little sick?” he said honestly. 

“So ready then,” Richie grinned and pat his knee. “I think that’s how most people feel when they come out.” 

“Oh thank god,” Eddie rolled his eyes exasperatedly. “Let’s just go before we’re later than we already are.” (He’d realize later that Richie had successfully managed to calm him down.) 

Everyone was already seated and had ordered. They smiled and waved and seemed more happy to see them than upset they were late so at least Eddie had that going for him. He held his hand up to let them know they’d be a minute longer and then dragged Richie into the drink line in a cheap attempt to draw out more time. 

Richie didn’t protest and merely went along with it letting Eddie know that he wanted a hot chocolate preferably with extra whipped cream. Eddie would go as far as to request chocolate shavings to be added much to Richie’s delight. 

After the order was placed he let Richie lead him back over to their friends who were listening to Bill tell them something that Stan had done while impromptu bird watching from their dorm. Apparently he’d almost fallen out the window because he was leaning to catch a better glimpse with his binoculars and he was lucky the Bill had noticed before things got messy; at the very least they lived on the second floor so it wouldn’t have been catastrophic but still. 

Eddie had almost forgot that he called them together because he’d allowed himself to become quite enraptured by the story. It wasn’t until Richie was nudging him and handing him his ridiculously strong coffee that he remembered that he really wanted to get it over with- these were his friends after all. 

He cleared his throat awkwardly and everyone gave him their attention which was actually more comforting than nerve wracking, he’d only have to say it once. 

“So I have some important news to share,” he started hoping his voice wouldn’t wavier; Richie’s hand found it’s way to his thigh and he chose to focus on that. 

He caught Stan’s eye and he nodded the slightest nod encouragingly as he’d seemed to catch on to what was happening. Eddie wished he’d talked to Mike beforehand, but he could do this. He took a deep breath and smiled nervously. 

“I’m gay,” he said and was proud that it came out unshaken. 

Stan smiled and leaned over to punch his arm comfortingly, “Proud of you.” 

Everyone else seemed to share the same sentiment because he was quickly pulled into a hug from Bill on his other side- knocking Richie’s hand away in the process. “We could have bonded over this,” he whispered jokingly and Eddie rolled his eyes and shoved him away. 

“I’m looking forward to any movie nights being far more entertaining,” Eddie jibbed playfully. 

“No holding back on celebrity crushes now,” Stan laughed. 

“Are we invited too?” Beverly grinned on the other side. 

“Obviously,” Richie confirmed. “Anyone who wants to talk about hot guys are hereby invited to movie nights.” 

“Oh god, we have to plan movie nights now,” Eddie complained, glaring at Richie even though it was softened by his smile. 

Ben whispered with Beverly for a little while before he addressed the group again, “We’ve got dibs on hosting the first one then; bring snacks and blankets.” 

“Hell yeah!” Richie whooped and high fived Ben. 

“We should have it after the game,” Mike suggested. 

“Game?” Richie tilted his head intrigued and Eddie was a little disappointed that he’d forgotten to mention that Mike played football to him, although _he_ had also had plenty of opportunities to do that himself considering they were in a band together. 

“This Saturday right?” Eddie asked knocking his foot against Richie’s. 

“Saturday works for us,” Ben agreed double checking with Mike that the dates were correct. 

Richie was shooting him looks but seemed to have caught onto what was going on. He kept giving him suspicious looks, but it was more humorous than anything because he had whipped cream on his upper lip. 

Eddie chuckled and grabbed a napkin to hand over to Richie. 

A minute later his phone buzzed and Eddie checked it for a notification from Stan. 

**“Stan U.” **

**November 24, 2019 **

**Stan U. (12:23):** So... Richie? 

**Eddie:** Shut up 

He looked up and pouted at the cheshire grin Stan was giving him. Eddie made a point of turning his phone over so he couldn’t see the screen anymore which only served to make Stan start giggling. At least he’d have someone to lament to now; he was going to make Stan regret digging into it. 

“So friends-giving?” Bill asked curiously. 

Bev shrugged and nodded, “I suppose so, anyone opposed to take-out?” 

There weren’t any objections, so they marked it down in their mental calendars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this takes place in November because football season and also because thanksgiving is a good excuse to get the group together again. :,)
> 
> Things are about to start picking up in the next couple chapters btw.


	25. Wraps and burritos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter in which I write strange dialogue and transition into stuff...

The days leading up to the game had Eddie pulling even further away from Richie; he spent a lot of time staying in Bill and Stan’s dorm to complain about his feelings. Bill wasn’t surprised to hear about the development, and he wasn’t sure if it was because he was _that_ obvious about it or if Stan had confided in him. Either way Eddie didn’t mind him knowing and it eventually would even spread to Mike finding out because he spent a good deal of time hanging out with them as well. 

Their study group had divulged into just a regular weekly get together after they’d learned that Ben went to their university. Richie and Beverly were the only ones not taking classes currently but were always managing to find reasons to be in attendance anyways. (Eddie often picked up Richie without needing some sort of excuse to do so.) 

They both decided to splurge and had picked up a few bags of rather pricey gummy worms to bring to friends-giving because Richie insisted it was a good idea. Eddie also made sure to throw in a few bags of chips to round out the junk food just for good measure. Those bags stayed tucked in the trunk and Eddie hoped it wouldn’t get too cold for the gummies. 

Everyone who had come to find out about his affections were pressing him to just tell Richie, but that was just too nerve wracking. 

First of all, Richie was an incubus and while Eddie didn’t mind this fact anymore, he had no idea what to do about that. Plus, he had turned him down multiple times during the first few days of their roommate arrangement. 

Then there was the fact that Eddie really didn’t want to mess this up. Richie was fun to have around and he wanted to keep him as a roommate. 

Pretty much he was falling apart because he constantly wanted to be around Richie but also didn’t want to make his feelings painfully obvious to him. Admittedly his plans for the game were a bit selfish because he was planning to have this be a cutting of ties in a way. He was going to binge and indulge himself as if this was a bit of a date and then he would go strictly platonic; no harm done... probably.

He spent a little extra time to make sure that he looked nice and picked out a sweater that he knew accentuated his arms in a flattering way. If it was still warm enough, he probably would have broken out his special shorts but since they were nearing December he had to stick to a standard pair of black jeans (the nice pair without holes in the knees). 

So maybe it wasn’t subtle but they were going to the game and wasn’t that excuse enough. He passed Richie coming out of his bedroom and almost did a double take because his hair was damp from a fresh shower and he was cleanly shaven. Eddie wasn’t sure if he should lament the loss of his stubble but either way he looked delightful with water slowly, tantalizingly dripping down the curve of his neck. 

“Damn, Eds, trying to catch someone’s attention?” Richie asked teasingly, looking him over slowly in a way that had Eddie feeling heated. 

“Possibly,” he answered ambiguously but honestly. 

Richie raised his eyebrow curiously and nodded, “Well, whoever it is must be pretty lucky.” 

Eddie hummed and took a moment to let himself look over Richie in return, wearing some torn up blue jeans and patterned button down. He was annoyed that he swooned a bit over it when it was everything he would have hated on himself. 

“What about you?” he asked eyes snapping back up. “Got your eye on anyone?” 

“Possibly,” Richie replied cheekily, patting his shoulder as he danced around him to get out of the hall. 

Eddie wasn’t sure if he was more amused or annoyed with that, but he was definitely a bit jealous of the idea that Richie was interested in some one that wasn’t him. He was a little disgusted with himself for feeling that way, it wasn’t fair for him to do this when Richie had no idea that Eddie was more than a little gone on him at this point. 

He had taken to noticing more details that made his heart pound the more time he spent with his roommate- things about him being unfairly attractive with stunning eyes and just the most luxurious curls. It wasn’t helped by the fact that he knew exactly how nice it was to run his fingers through them. 

Currently he was being distressed by Richie’s hands, something he never thought he would find so attractive but he had very nice hands. It was quite fixating to watch him do the simplest of tasks- making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for example. 

“Sorry did you want one?” Richie asked as he licked some jelly off his finger. 

“No, I’ll just make some toast,” Eddie choked out and grabbed the bread to shove a couple slices into the toaster. “Just leave the jelly out?” 

“Sure,” Richie slid the jar across the table. He hopped onto the counter and made himself at home much to Eddie's annoyance, that was so unsanitary. 

His toaster never made toast quite right regardless of how much he experimented with the various dial options so most of the time he just had to make sure to manually pop it up before it burned on him. Eddie almost missed his cue for the first time in three years because he was debating scolding Richie, which normally would be something he’d do in a heartbeat. 

Jeez, he was so far gone it was sad. 

He spread jelly onto his slightly charred toast and motioned Richie to follow with his head. 

“We have chairs for a reason,” Eddie complained lightly as he seated himself on one of the kitchen stools. 

“These are stools,” Richie shrugged and sat next to him. 

“Point still stands,” he rolled his eyes. 

“Okay, fine, I’ll keep that in mind,” Richie conceited as he hooked his ankle with Eddie’s for the first time in a week. 

Eddie tried to tell himself that his heart wasn’t pounding but that was unconvincing considering he could feel his pulse racing. It was dumb really that he would be getting all worked up over this. What was he a grade schoolboy with a crush? 

...Actually, was that really far from the truth? Were college years still applicable to be counted as school grades? 

Maybe he’d let himself have a pass on that one even if it was a bit pathetic. 

“Any pressing thoughts this morning?” Eddie asked curiously, not wanting to dwell in his thoughts any longer. 

“Are lettuce wraps considered burritos?” Richie hummed as he brushed some crumbs off his shirt. 

“Wraps are sandwiches,” Eddie deadpanned. 

“So is a burrito a sandwich?” Richie pressed. 

“Burritos are burritos.” 

“Only if you aren’t woke,” Richie grinned and rested his head onto the table to watch Eddie finish up his toast. 

Eddie wasn’t sure what to make of both the conversation and the potentially soft look Richie was giving him. Was he misconstruing this by thinking it was a little bit love struck? 

“Ask Stan about it, he’d be interested,” Eddie sighed. Stan would hate it, but he figured Bill or Mike would be with him and would likely be there to placate and reason with both of them. He was admittedly a bit curious to see how he would handle more ludicrous claims from Richie. 

“I’ll just get a poll during movie night,” he winked and got up to leave back in the direction of the bathroom. 

Eddie groaned and slid his hands over his face leaning forward until he was laying on the counter, which was disgustingly covered in crumbs. He wrinkled his nose distastefully but didn’t care enough to move just yet. Vacuuming was going to be moved to the highest priority on the chore list for later though because this was getting a bit ridiculous. 

A few hours went by with them bantering over Eddie’s obsessive cleaning habits but at least the house was at peak cleanliness, even Richie’s blankets had been folded neatly over the back of the couch. Really if he was going to continue living with Eddie, they should look into getting him a proper bed- even if they didn’t have the space for it. 

Maybe he could rearrange his room for another twin in there? They could truly be roommates in every sense of the word then. 

Eddie flopped onto the couch, disrupting the perfect folding that was just completed. He wasn’t even sure what to make of Richie’s stay because he had been positive it would only be a few days but by now it had almost been three full months. Should he bring it up? Would Richie be offended if he did? 

He didn’t want to give Richie the wrong idea by asking, but he should really get his lease updated. 

“What’s up, Eds?” Richie asked as he lifted Eddie’s legs to sit down; he settled in with his legs tucked into his lap. 

“Thinking about wraps,” he lied. 

Richie nodded sagely, “A puzzling concept.” 

Eddie knew that he wasn’t buying it, but at least he wasn’t pushing him. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep himself from spilling over and coming clean with everything if questioned long enough, not with Richie. 

“Do you want to leave early?” Eddie asked, getting up on his elbows a bit. “I could show you around campus better.” 

“Sounds fun,” Richie smiled and squeezed his ankle before pushing his legs harshly onto the floor. 

“Jerk,” he seethed mostly on the floor at this point. 

“Let’s go,” he grinned and tugged Eddie’s arm so he was properly up, steadying him with a careful arm around his waist. 

Eddie couldn’t bring himself to pretend to be upset anymore and let Richie lead him to the entryway so they could put their shoes on. He didn’t even bother to tell Richie off for his ridiculous habits of putting his shoes on. 

“Just get some low tops,” he teased, knocking his elbow against Rich’s. 

“Not until these bad boys are so destroyed that even duct tape can’t fix them,” he proudly said. 

“I won’t let them get to that point,” Eddie deadpanned as they walked down the stairs. 

“Is that so?” he hummed. 

“I’ll gift you a new pair of shoes if I have to,” Eddie decided. 

“You’ll be my sugar daddy?” Richie grinned wolfishly. 

“I’m in college; I don’t have that kind of money,” he rolled his eyes. 

“Shame, do you think Bill has extra money to spend?” 

“Better chances on Mike; he’s basically perfect so it wouldn’t surprise me,” Eddie offered. “Why are you _actually_ trying to be a sugar baby?” 

“No, but I mean hypothetically who are the sugar babies and sugar daddies in the group; what's your take?” 

“We’re all sugar babies except for Bev and Mike because they seem the most adjusted,” he decided after a moment of thought. 

“You think so?” Richie hummed, opening the stairwell door for him. 

“I don’t regularly think about who would be a sugar daddy,” Eddie shrugged, “and truthfully I never want to again.” 

“Fair enough,” Richie agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I noped right out of drawing out some angsty pinning because even I'm getting sick of my bullshit. :')  
Still going to classify this chapter as slightly angst with a light seasoning of spicy thoughts.


	26. Back lab antics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back lab you say? ^^;;

The drive consisted of Richie flipping through the radio stations before he settled on the Spanish one that Eddie was beginning to associate with Richie specifically. He wasn’t really sure to make of that, but it wasn’t that bad actually; it did make him wonder if maybe he spoke Spanish. Eddie was tempted to ask but liked to keep that one a mystery- it was pretty hot if true though... 

“Anything in particular you want to see?” he asked parking the car and brushing his thoughts away. 

“I’ve already seen the library and the dorms so just take me to see some classes or something,” Richie suggested as he unclicked his seatbelt. 

“Back computer lab it is,” Eddie decided because there wouldn’t be any classes in there to disrupt. 

“Sounds spicy,” Richie approved, and they got out of the car. 

Eddie couldn’t even say he was wrong because he’d heard more than his fair share of hookup stories that took place in that room. He preferred not to think about that whenever he had to do some extra work back there; that’s also why he carried disinfectant wipes in his bag at all times. 

“Follow me,” Eddie sighed, leading him towards the computer buildings; most of their campus was divided into course types so a majority of fourth year engineering, computer science, and even shop students had been granted access to the lab. The lab itself was at one time used regularly but was eventually abandoned by professors when other computer labs with better equipment had been added. Currently it served as a place to test senior projects and experiment without so many watching eyes, and everyone knew not to find someone with keys to unlock the door if it happened to be locked at any time. 

“So how many people have you taken on secret rendezvous to the ‘back lab,’” Richie teased smirking. 

“To date?” Eddie asked. 

Richie nodded intrigued. 

“Only you,” he laughed and shoved him. 

“Scandalous!” Richie dramatically covered his face and pretended to swoon. “Buy me a drink first.” 

“I’ve already done that multiple times,” Eddie countered shoving Richie away when he decided to lean into him. “Besides this is strictly business.” 

“Is that what the students call it now?” he grinned. 

“Well, I mean, yeah probably,” Eddie shrugged. “Whatever doesn’t matter, that’s the building there,” he pointed out a standard double story with red paint and a worn sign out front. 

“Is that even safe?” Richie asked as they got closer and he could see where the paint was fading and chipping off. 

“Mostly third and fourth years work here so it could be worse,” he laughed. 

“Yes, because people who can finally legally drink are trustworthy,” Richie deadpanned as Eddie opened the door for him. At least it was much better kept inside and looked mostly new; it even smelled of freshly cleaned floors so that had to count for something. 

“Better than fresh out of high schoolers,” Eddie tutted and began taking him down a series of hallways past the stairwell and to a black door tucked mostly away. 

“This is so shady,” Richie blanched. 

“They finally changed the dead light out though,” Eddie grinned cheekily and tried the doorknob. It was thankfully open. 

“Very relieving,” he dryly said as Eddie opened the door and flicked the lights on; they blinked three times before fully coming on. 

“Come on, I’ll show you how a computer goes together,” Eddie laughed, waving him further into the back where the faculty stacked broken computer towers. 

“That... actually sounds pretty cool,” Richie said and fell into step. 

Eddie’s heart swooped a bit and he was very pleased with the way things were playing out... until... 

“Hey is that a thong?” 

Sure enough someone had left a lacy black thong on the back of one of the stools. Eddie wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to work in here again until he’d personally bleached every inch of the room. 

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t see that,” he gritted out and dragged Richie away. At least the back table with the computers seemed clean enough and all the screwdrivers he would likely need were kindly left alone. He just wished he had some wipes and clorox, preferably clorox- lots of it. 

“I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t think people were _actually_ getting frisky in the back lab,” Richie giggled. 

“We aren’t talking about that,” Eddie groaned and popped the side off a nearby tower. “We’re focusing on this,” he motioned to the dusty box. 

“Right of course,” Richie nodded trying to keep a straight face, “not going to talk about the fact that someone left their thong in this room.” 

“Richie,” Eddie whined and debated hitting his head against the table; he almost did but this table hadn’t been wiped down since the last time he’d worked back here two weeks ago. 

“Sorry, sorry; go on,” Richie cleared his throat and put on a serious face. Or more rather, he tried to because he divulged into a fit of giggles soon after. 

“Let’s just go,” Eddie said and couldn’t help smiling. “We can do this another time and really there wasn’t enough time before the game anyways.” 

“Oh thank god,” Richie gasped between giggles; he only seemed to be laughing harder the more he tried to calm down. 

“Jesus, Rich, it’s just a thong, calm down,” Eddie chuckled and reached over to gently pat his back as if that would help. 

Richie was doubled over and wheezing and almost completely collapsed when Eddie lead him past the thong stool. 

“I’m good,” he choked out and wiped some tears from his eyes; he was still laughing just not so hard. 

“It really wasn’t that funny,” Eddie chided amused. 

“Just your face and then just, _oh man_,” Richie sighed and curled heavier into Eddie’s side. “Oh, it was good; I’m in pain now.” 

“I think I have ibuprofen or advil in the car?” he offered. 

“Nah, this is a good hurt,” Richie grinned and straightened himself out, patting his stomach and staying far closer to Eddie than was necessary. 

“Let’s just go to the stadium before the good seats are taken,” he smiled and wrapped his arm snuggly around his waist in a gesture not likely to be perceived as platonic. If Richie cared about that, he didn’t pull away or say anything. Eddie was pretending that this wouldn’t be completely transparent to Richie even as a couple students looked at them curiously as they walked away from the notorious back lab. 

“Are you cold, Eds?” Richie asked as they got back outside, and he ducked closer to him as if it would hide him from the public. 

“Freezing,” Eddie lied. 

“We’ll huddle for warmth then,” Richie giggled and more wholeheartedly wrapped himself around Eddie, making it incredibly awkward to walk. 

“I think there’s blankets in the trunk?” he offered strictly for appearances. 

“Nope, car is too far away now,” Richie insisted as he rested his head on top of Eddie’s which only served to make them more off kilter and to make Eddie’s pulse spike. There was no denying that Richie was unnaturally warm compared to the average human; if they weren’t in public, he might have asked about it. 

They could already hear people mingling as they approached the stadium and Eddie couldn’t resist looking up to see Richie’s face. Eddie was glad he did though because he looked awfully cute as he took in the varying degrees of school spirit displayed by the people filing in. 

“I didn’t know this was a face paint affair,” Richie commented softly. 

“Next time we can deck you out head to toe in the colors,” Eddie snickered. 

“Maybe,” he said back after a moments debate. 

Eddie rolled his eyes and pulled him up to the small line for tickets. He had his student id card and he was pretty sure he could manage to smuggle Richie in with it too if he played the cards right. Students had free access to any games which was one of the campus perks that Eddie rarely indulged in. Now that he knew Mike was on the team maybe they’d have to make it a habit to go to games.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ngl, the back lab scene is actually a thing that happened on my campus. That's the only lab without cameras and it was a big joke that that was where computer science majors went to hook up...  
And then they found a thong back there; there's still not cameras in the room but there are two new ones in the hall pointing at the door. No one's really sure if the thong was left as a joke or if someone actually did hook up back there...
> 
> Anyways happy Valentines day! Also getting really close to the feelings(tm) scenes! ;v;


	27. Popcorn and feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> !!

Getting the tickets ended up not being a problem at all because the person they had dealing them didn’t care enough to make sure Richie had an id with him. Eddie had flashed his and they were waved in after being given a couple slips of precut paper tickets. He wasn’t sure if he was as comfortable with campus security anymore but at least he wouldn’t be paying for Richie’s fee, even if he had made a little bit from their concert. 

“Are all student workers that enthusiastic?” Richie whispered bemused. 

“I suppose it can’t be fun to work a ticket booth,” Eddie commented back, surprised that he’d forgotten how close Richie was... that’s probably why the worker didn’t bother asking for a student id... 

Eddie wasn’t sure if he should be wholly embarrassed or if he should be amused that they were convincing enough as a couple to be able to sneak into the games that way. 

He checked the group chat and pulled Richie over to where they said they were generally going to be. It wasn’t too hard to find them mostly because they were all huddled close to the divider talking to Mike. 

Eddie smiled and waved when Ben caught his eye and started to wave them over. 

Even now that they were integrated into the whole friend group, Richie continued to stay close to Eddie- to the point that their thighs were mostly still pressed together. Eddie refused to meet Stan and Bill’s eyes when they’d noticed that fact. He couldn’t avoid Mike’s though, not on a game day; and really Mike was too nice to say anything teasing about it. 

“Hey, how do you guys feel about wraps?” Richie piped up, grinning wickedly. 

“Oh god,” Eddie groaned. “Not now.” 

“Wraps?” Beverly asked with her brow quirked inquisitively. 

“Like the food?” Ben tried to clarify. 

“We are _not_ holding this conversation,” Eddie glared at Richie. “Mike needs to have his head in the game.” 

“No, no,” Mike laughed. “I want to hear this.” 

“Eddie’s right; just think about your feelings about wraps,” Richie teased and lazily draped his arm around Eddie’s shoulder, "and win us the game."

Eddie rolled his eyes but didn’t push him away. 

Mike’s teammates started pouring out onto the field and Mike sighed and said his goodbyes, receiving good wishes in return. 

“This conversation isn’t over, Tozier,” he quipped and then jogged away. 

Richie looked far too pleased to have created a good hook for his stupid poll. Eddie sighed and followed the rest of their friends higher up the bleachers for better seats. He just hoped they wouldn’t be uninvited from friends-giving over wraps. 

They split up a little bit to divide into the rows for talking convenience and even if Eddie wanted to sit with anyone else, he wouldn’t be able to because of the iron grip Richie had on his arm. Beverly and Ben took the seats in front of them and Stan and Bill went behind them, leaving them in the middle row- which Eddie liked. 

“Do you know anything about football?” Eddie asked Richie quietly. 

“Not really, do you?” he practically parroted back. 

“Nope, Bill was more into it than I was,” he grinned sheepishly. 

“You think we could bug him about it?” 

Eddie glanced back and saw him huddled up, talking softly with Stan and looking far more excited about this than he would have expected. 

“I don’t think so, he looks pretty busy,” Eddie murmured not wanting to get in the middle of whatever was happening with the dormmates. 

“Let’s bother Benverly then,” Richie shrugged leaning forward shamelessly and inserting himself between their seats. 

“Benverly,” he whispered to himself; he had to admit it had a ring to it. Richie already had interrupted them, so he didn’t see any harm joining in, so he leaned elbows on his knees. 

“So we’re in the same boat then,” Richie was smiling; Eddie took that to mean that they also knew jack all about football. 

“I know a few of the basics,” Ben shrugged, “but not enough to get by.” 

“Don’t worry about it,” he said and patted his shoulder. “Eds and I will figure out our own rules.” 

“I’m sure Mike will be thrilled to hear about that later,” Beverly laughed. 

“Of course he will,” Richie assured confidently and then the band came out to play the anthem successfully cutting off the conversation for the time being. 

Eddie found himself using the anthem as an excuse to study Richie, to really look at him. He was piecing together the pieces that weren’t physical, trying to figure out how he felt about the demon thing now that his life was mostly going great. Hell, his mother stopped texting to check up on him every morning and he felt like he could relax a bit. 

Relaxing gave him time to wonder about things, things like where exactly did Richie come from. Was hell a real place? Did Richie come there, and did he have a home somewhere? 

There were little things too, small burning questions that had developed over time; like why he was so warm- was it natural or was he getting sick? Did demons get different sicknesses than humans? Could he catch a demon virus from Richie? Would he die if he did? 

“Eddie?” Richie said softly, coaxing Eddie out of his spiral. 

“Sorry,” he smiled weakly and sat back down, slumping into Richie and enjoying the warmth he provided. _Unnatural warmth_ his brain helpfully provided. 

He was crushing on a demon. 

Richie wrapped his arm around him and whispered, “Are you okay?” 

A sweet, adorable stupid fucking _demon._

“Just thinking some stuff through,” he whispered back and hoped Richie wouldn’t push it. 

“Anything I could help with?” 

“Don’t worry about it, it’s nothing,” Eddie sighed. “Let’s just enjoy the game.” 

“Okay, I’m here if you want to though,” Richie said and looked so damn worried that Eddie immediately felt guilty and wanted to spill everything. 

They’d been living together for some time now and he hadn’t really thought all that much about Richie’s demonic nature; he’d gotten used to seeing the tail and twisting ram horns. Richie just seemed like anyone else he’d met, just with more ridiculous ideas. 

Eddie tried to watch the game for a few minutes, cheering excitedly when Mike had the ball and groaning exasperatedly when it was stolen away by the other team. He didn’t understand the rules but it didn’t take away from the enjoyment he got. Even though he was trying very hard not to get distracted it was difficult when he had the equivalent of a living furnace next to him; it made it hard to put his questions to rest. 

“How are you so warm?” he caved when he just couldn’t stand it anymore. 

“What?” Richie asked marginally distracted by what was going on down on the field. He watched a few seconds longer before giving his full attention to Eddie. 

“Your body heat,” he clarified. “How are you so warm?” 

“Ah,” Richie nodded, understanding dawning on his face. He leaned closer to Eddie, so close that he could felt the slightest brush of his lips against the shell of his ear. “Hellfire core,” he uttered so breathily that Eddie couldn’t help but shutter. 

“Hellfire,” Eddie whispered a little bit out of it. 

“Mhmm,” Richie hummed and returned to watching the game. 

Eddie found watching the game wasn’t as intriguing as seeing how Richie reacted to it. Richie had unintentionally wrecked his last brain cell and he really hoped that Mike wouldn’t mind. He was a little stuck on the concept of hell now; if hellfire was part of Richie supposedly, then was it an actual place? 

The more he got answers the more he wondered. Was heaven also a place if hell was? What did it mean to be a demon? He was starting to wish that he’d been given the full demon anatomy lesson from Richie when they’d first started living together now. It wasn’t too late to check out the summoning book he supposed. Would it be an invasion of privacy if he did? Did Eddie even really know what constituted as an invasion of privacy? 

Richie whooped next to him and he belatedly clapped with the rest of the crowd; they must have finally scored. 

“Shit, Eds, did you see that?” Richie was beaming and looking flushed- just gorgeous. 

“Yeah,” he said even though he had no idea what was going on, Richie was short-circuiting his brain. 

“I can’t believe Mike caught that,” Richie slumped into him and wrapped his arms fully around Eddie, who could feel the adrenaline rush he’d gotten second hand from the game. 

Eddie’s heart gave a hard thump. 

How was he even supposed to react to surprise hugs? 

His face burned with warmth and he casually as he could manage hugged him back. “Mike really is something else,” he murmured offhandedly as they stayed tangled longer than strictly necessary. He didn’t even care that they were surrounded by their friends, this was worth any knowing looks and pity glances. 

“Do you want to go get some concessions?” Richie asked as he finally, reluctantly pulled away. 

“Yeah,” he agreed, he would have agreed to almost anything Richie asked at that point. 

“Cool,” Richie smiled fully, nearly knocking the breath out of Eddie’s chest with how it lurched. He was unfairly attracted to his roommate. 

His roommate; unattainable and demonic. Extra emphasis on _roommate._

He felt a bit sobered up at that but that didn’t stop him from grabbing Richie’s hand as they walked down the bleachers. It burned delightfully against his, a stark reminder of what he wanted and couldn’t have. 

They took an unnecessarily long route to get to the concessions and Eddie was started to foolishly hope that made this wasn’t so one-sided after all. Especially when Richie occasionally gave him looks like _that._ Unbearably soft and heart pounding; it just wasn’t fair. 

“What do you want?” Richie asked him. “I’ll buy.” 

The line was rather short given that it was barely the end of the first quarter and Eddie was grateful that there wasn’t that much of an audience to give them inquisitive glances. He hadn’t really even been hungry when he agreed so he quickly looked over the menu boards. 

“Just some water,” Eddie shrugged, smiling sheepishly at the incredulous look Richie gave him. 

“Are you sure?” Richie double checked when they’d gotten to the front of the line. “I’m not broke anymore.” 

Eddie chuckled and nodded, “Just the water, I’m not actually hungry.” 

“Fine,” Richie sighed and ordered a couple bottles of water and a large bag of popcorn. He handed the bag off to him pretty much as soon as it was passed to him. “Don’t eat all of that, it’s to share,” he grinned wickedly as if he’d won something when Eddie absently started eating it. 

“What if I do?” Eddie challenged, shoving more popcorn than necessary into his mouth. 

“We’d have to wait in line again,” Richie shrugged. “Don’t choke though,” he scolded and swatted as Eddie when he made motion to take another gigantic handful. 

“Wouldn’t be too bad,” he commented as he was handed an ice-cold dripping water bottle from the worker. 

“Eddie can we talk?” Richie asked more serious than he’d been the rest of the night. 

“Sure,” he nodded feeling his pulse spike nervously. 

“Somewhere private,” he murmured, leading him away from prying eyes and going towards under the bleachers. Eddie wasn’t even sure what to think about that. 

There wasn’t anyone hiding out beneath the bleachers leaving them successfully alone in the relatively darkened space. He set his water onto the ground and Eddie followed suit. (The popcorn remain in his hands for fear of bugs and other contaminates.) 

“Please tell me I’m not reading too far into this,” Richie said softly, his hands ghosting against Eddie’s cheekbones. 

“Richie,” Eddie whispered, just the slightest exhale of breath. 

_“Eddie,”_ he pleaded, eyes looking painfully hopeful in the dim yellow lighting; his hands settled cupping his face. 

Eddie’s hands shook and one found purchase on Richie’s forearms, “What are you...?” Some of the popcorn had fallen out of the bag. 

Richie inhaled and meet his eyes fully, “I like you.” 

“Oh,” he gasped, his eyes wide and mouth gaped. _“Richie.”_

Eddie almost completely dropped the popcorn. 

Richie coughed and looked away as the surreal-ness slowly feel away leaving them with the reality of what just was said. 

Eddie wasn’t sure he could say it back, but he curled his fingers into his patterned shirt, stepping closer. 

“Eds,” he cautioned but Eddie wasn’t listening. 

He swallowed and cradled the crumpled popcorn bag to between them, his free hand traveled to rest over Richie’s heart, marveling at how it fluttered and raced beneath his hand. 

“What do we do?” Eddie asked gently, unsure with himself. 

“Nothing, anything, I don’t know,” Richie said sounding a little surprised himself. “What do you want to do?” 

“Can I kiss you?” he asked suddenly, looking up at him expectantly. 

“Yeah,” Richie whispered, slowly ducking closer. 

“Okay,” Eddie said dumbly; he hadn’t expected to actually get to this point but at least he closed his eyes on time. His lips brushed against Richie’s in the briefest of kisses, Eddie’s heart pounded so hard he felt like it was choking him. It was exhilarating and he wanted more; he had to get up on his tip toes to chase after Richie when he pulled away. 

“Oh,” Richie breathed against him as he let Eddie kiss him fully, a gentle locking of lips that he hoped left Richie as lightheaded as he felt. 

He’d kissed his fair share of girls in the past but none of them felt like this. 

None of them felt _right._

The popcorn was crushed between them, but Eddie couldn’t be bothered to care about butter on his shirt right now. He’d just kissed Richie; he’d kissed his roommate. 

He’d crossed and completely shattered his unofficial rule and he’d loved it, so maybe his crush had shifted into something more but really who could blame him when they lived together. 

“Eddie?” Richie asked, his hand dragging down his arm tortuously slow leaving a lingering heat in its wake. “What is this?” 

“I like you too,” he smiled nervously, proud that he managed to get the words out of his suddenly dry, scratchy throat. 

“Cool,” Richie said and then looked horrified with himself. 

“Cool,” Eddie echoed back chuckling, still a little hysterical and in disbelief. 

“We should head back,” he smiled and took the popcorn. 

Eddie nodded dumbly and picked up the slightly warm water bottle. He hadn’t thought they’d been gone long but it was almost half time by the time they’d finally climbed up to where they were originally. Stan raised his eyebrow curiously at him but didn’t say anything; Eddie wasn’t sure what he would say if anyone asked. 

He was excited that something had happened but incredibly nervous because _something had happened._ Eddie wasn’t sure he could keep it from his friends, but he wasn’t even sure if there was something more there. They liked each other; lots of people liked each other. 

Richie threw one of his legs on top of Eddie’s in the most ridiculous manner. There was no way that was possibly comfortable, but Richie maintained a stellar poker face. He was also now half on Eddie’s lap much to Eddie’s silent amazement. 

Eddie gingerly put his arm around his waist so that he wouldn’t fall off of him or something stupid, as a plus he wasn’t very likely to get chilled with them sitting like this. 

“We’re winning,” Richie informed him grinning toothily. 

Eddie checked the score board and smiled, “Yeah we are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in tears; I can't believe how long it took to finally get them together :,)


	28. Potato chips and uncertainty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Communication is important!! Also you don't have to know everything right away!

The rest of the game went by rather uneventfully, there weren’t any close calls and they kept racking up points. Eddie and Richie stayed close and shared the cold abused popcorn occasionally sharing soft remarks and glances. 

Even during half time, they didn’t break away from each other long. They had accompanied the rest of the group down to the concessions table, but they’d stayed back and made light banter when they were left alone. Eddie couldn’t help noticing that it felt almost like nothing had changed between them, aside from Richie not being shy about layering him with casual affection- a lingering hand, brushing Eddie’s hair from his face, subtle shifts. 

He wondered how much what happened between them showed on his face; it was easy to tell with Richie considering he hadn’t stopped smiling- which was crooked and infuriatingly adorable. Eddie was going mad with how cute Richie was sometimes. 

Richie’s arm curled around his waist and casually grabbed his hand. Eddie smiled softly and held his hand the best he could considering how Richie’s hand was resting on top of his which made it a little awkward. When he looked up, he noticed Beverly giving them an appraising look before she leaned over to whisper to Ben, who was carrying a box of concessions. 

Ben looked at them too before shrugging and passing her one of the drinks he had in the crook of his elbow. He said something back to her and Eddie worried that they had found out already; he wasn’t sure he was ready to just confirm he had a thing for Richie- Eddie didn’t even positive if it was a mutual thing. Eddie wasn't about to jump the gun if Richie was on a different page than he was.

To say Eddie was glad when the game was over was an understatement of mass proportions, at least now all the attention was on Mike and how proud they were of him. He felt way more comfortable now and even was the one to initiate some of the affections with Richie. They would still have to talk about what was going on between them. 

Beverly gave Eddie the address to her shared apartment with Ben and told him that if he had any trouble finding it that Richie had rode along enough times that he should be helpful in guiding him. He thanked her and made sure to put the location into his phone to use in a little bit. 

Right now, he wanted to give Mike a congratulatory hug while Stan and Bill were preoccupied talking among themselves. He squeaked a bit when his feet were lifted off the ground but couldn’t deny that Mike gave excellent hugs even when he was sweaty and quite frankly, really gross. 

Mike was beaming when they finally were breaking into smaller groups for the drive over to Ben and Bev’s apartment and Eddie couldn’t find a single fault with any events that occurred that day. 

At least until... 

“So explain this wrap thing to us now,” Mike said as he settled into the rather big sofa in the warmly decorated apartment. 

Eddie groaned while Richie looked positively delighted and happily pulled him down to sit with him and Mike. It was a devastatingly comfortable couch and he was tempted to ask where they’d bought it. Their apartment was stunning, and he was more than a little impressed. (And slightly jealous but that’s beside the point; he was definitely going to ask them for decorating tips though.) 

Richie waited until he had everyone back in the room before he started in on his crackpot poll. 

“What would you consider a wrap?” Richie asked the room. 

“What do you mean?” Stan asked lazily plopping down in an adjacent recliner. 

“Like are they burritos or sandwiches?” 

There was a noticeable pause in the room and Eddie silently cheered because at least he wasn’t the only one who was floored by it. 

“...Um, sandwich,” Mike decided hesitantly, to which the room quietly agreed. 

“Alright and since a wrap is just stuff wrapped in a tortilla or lettuce in the case of lettuce wraps,” Richie continued. “Are burritos sandwiches?” 

Eddie paused, having not heard that bit of the question. 

“No,” Eddie lightly slapped Richie’s arm. “That’s the dumbest thing you’ve said to date.” 

“Worse than cereal soup?” Bill asked. 

“Ugh, don’t bring that up,” Stan groaned, dragging a hand down his face. 

“Oh, but I want to hear this one,” Mike grinned, toeing his shoes off to bring his legs up onto the couch with him. 

“I’m a bit curious as well,” Beverly smiled, making herself at home on the plush carpeting. 

Eddie sighed and decided to go get some snacks for the group, he didn’t want to relive that conversations- mostly because he’d lost that argument on a _technicality._

When he returned with an opened bag of gummy worms and a still warm box of sodas from where they’d dropped all their friends-giving foods, the shared look from most of the group was bewildered disbelief and stunned horror. Eddie was actually a little proud of Richie for being able to provoke such a range of emotions with such a stupid concept. 

Richie tore the box of sodas open and grabbed a hefty handful of gummies from Eddie as he wrapped up his explanations. 

“I guess it makes sense, but it makes me uncomfortable to think about,” Ben quietly offered up after a moment of debate. 

“I never want to think about it again,” Mike agreed, reaching over to snag some gummy worms as well. 

“And I have to live with him,” Eddie said gravely, passing the bag of candy down the way. 

“A moment of silence for his sanity,” Stan proposed. 

The group nodded and a good ten seconds went by before Richie cut in indignantly. 

“I’m not that bad!” 

Eddie smiled and hooked his ankle with Richie; no, he really wasn’t. 

“Well, anyways this is supposed to be a movie night,” Beverly grinned wickedly. “Mike’s big win so he gets first pick.” 

No one opposed that so Mike perused the options before settling on some cheesy romcom, which Eddie hadn’t expected. 

Bill managed to squeeze himself into the chair with Stan and they were quietly squabbling for a few minutes before Stan sighed and just accepted it once the pre-movie promotions stopped. He went boneless and pulled Bill’s legs on top of his in a way that seemed natural, as if they’d done so before. 

Ben carried out a ridiculous number of blankets and layered both Beverly and himself with them, making themselves at home on the floor. They looked ridiculous cute snuggled up like that and Eddie had a hard time deciding if there was something more there or not. He didn't want to make assumptions on that sort of thing.

Mike curled back into his spot and Richie kept giving Eddie these soft looks that had him melting a bit. Eddie quietly moved around so that he was roughly mimicking Stan and Bill, draping his legs onto Richie’s lap and leaning back into the arm of the couch. He smiled sheepishly when he caught Richie’s eye and not a word was said between them as the movie started. 

As it would turn out, Richie is a very fidgety movie partner because he kept running his fingers idly over Eddie’s calves. It was cute at first but now it was just driving Eddie insane. He pointedly moved his legs away from Richie but that just made him chase his leg mindlessly. 

Eventually he’d had enough and leaned over to tell Richie he was going to get some more snacks because it was abundantly clear that Bill and Stan had no interest in returning the gummy worms. Richie decided to go with him, but at least he could have some space to breath. 

Most of the food was junk that just the thought of made Eddie’s stomach flip anxiously. There was way too much sugar, not to mention salt. 

Richie seemed to have no qualms with the spread and grabbed a bag of potato chips. (They weren’t even lightly salted.) 

Eddie cringed but quietly accepted a few when he tilted the bag towards him. Incredibly salty but it would have to do; there wasn’t much better to be seen. 

When they got back to the living room, Stan and Bill migrated to the couch. Mike was now sitting between them and Eddie couldn’t bring himself to be upset over their lost spots; they’d been gone for a good five minutes while Eddie scrutinized every nutrition label out of habit. 

There was a quick heated wordless exchange with Richie over what they should do because there was only on recliner. Richie shrugged and pulled Eddie’s wrist pulling him onto the chair, successfully putting him onto his lap. 

Eddie choked back a shocked noise and was painfully tense. No one even spared them a glance though so he relaxed into Richie, accepting the job of holding the chips so he could wrap his arms more comfortably around Eddie’s waist. Richie’s breath tickled the back of his neck in a way that was even more distracting than his previous fidgeting. 

He gave up trying to catch up and figure out the movie, most of his thoughts had been preoccupied by Richie now anyway. 

Eddie hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him since the bleachers, not that he’d tried very hard but that was beside the point. It was just much worse now that he had Richie pressed warmly to his back, his chin now resting on his shoulder. 

God, he should be annoyed because he couldn’t hear much aside from the occasional crunching from Richie since he’d decided to eat the chips. Eddie was positive he was getting covered with crumbs because of how they were sitting and yet he couldn’t get past the fact that he was just _so close._

Eddie recalled their briefly shared kisses and wondered what would happen if he just casually turned his head and kissed him again with all their friends in the room. They probably wouldn’t notice he reasoned with himself, already half talked into it. His heart was pounding at the thrill of it, even if he wasn’t quite brave enough to do that. 

Instead he settled for grabbing the hand that Richie had left free, blushing and avoiding any eye contact but laser focusing on the stupid romcom. 

He felt the ghost of Richie’s lips against his neck and inhaled sharply, squeezing their hands and trying not to shiver. 

Eddie pursed his lips and gave Richie a pointed look; it didn’t last long though, not when Richie was smiling at him so sweetly. They were moving faster than any of Eddie’s previous relationships and he was at a loss of what to do. He liked him; he really did. 

And that was the problem. 

He didn’t want to stop Richie; he didn’t want to stop himself. 

Eddie had a feeling that his feelings for Richie developed before he was fully aware of them which made it feel like they were past the stage they were at currently. He wasn’t even really sure what they were doing to begin with. 

What were they? Roommate that kiss a bit? Friends with benefits? _Boyfriends??_

He was sure he was blushing all the way down his neck at that point, especially when Richie’s hair brushed against his cheek. 

“Everything okay, Eds?” Richie whispered, concern shining behind his ridiculously thick lenses. 

Eddie nodded and then slowly shook his head because no, everything wasn’t okay. His head was a mess and he just wanted answers or maybe some closure. He sighed and chewed his lip thoughtfully, trying to find the right words. 

“What are we?” he asked softly, a little annoyed with himself for not having the self-control to wait for a better time before springing that question on Richie. 

Richie hummed and tightened his grip around him, smiling lopsidedly. “What do you want us to be?” he questioned gently. 

Eddie wasn’t even sure he had an answer for that. He wanted Richie but wasn’t sure he was ready for a relationship again. A quiet frustrated noise died off in his throat while he struggled to find an answer to that. 

Richie patiently rubbed circles into his hand which helped sooth him a bit. 

“I don’t know,” he finally whispered back, a little shamefully considering he’d sprung the question in the first place. 

Richie nodded and kissed his shoulder understandingly, “Then it’s easy, we’re Richie and Eddie.” He smiled brightly as if that’s all they needed; and maybe it was. Maybe Eddie was making a bigger deal out of labels than was strictly necessary. 

“Eddie and Richie,” he agreed softly, echoing his grin tentatively. 

When Eddie finally looked away from Richie, the ending credits were rolling up the screen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all I just really love a good "what are we" convo ngl.  
Plus Eddie just came out of a manipulative relationship, he's allowed to need some breathers from labels.


	29. Spilled potato chips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soft morning hours

If any of the others noticed how close they’d gotten, none of them bothered to say anything about it- which greatly soothed Richie’s nerves. 

He’d been feeling like he was going to combust since Eddie asked to kiss him and he wasn’t even sure if he’d be the same. 

Richie was an incubus; he shouldn’t be affected this much. He did feed off other positive emotions though, so maybe there was more to be said about his relationship with Eddie after all. Although he wasn’t sure if it was all just him picking up emotional cues and not just him crushing; crushing _bad._

He still felt like a live wire just holding onto to Eds even though at least three other movies had passed since they’d arrived. Richie couldn’t believe his luck that their original spots had been stolen away, he couldn’t help his racing heart though- not when he could smell that Eddie was wearing a delightful cologne that complimented him very well. 

There was so much he wanted to say but didn’t. He had never felt like this for someone before, so he was sort of blindly navigating this. 

Sure, there had been others before Eddie but those were usually people who didn’t see Richie for... well Richie. There had been reasons why he hadn’t purposefully sought out someone since Eddie summoned him, even if he was annoyingly weak most days from having to exert himself so much just to hide his more _interesting_ features. He supposed it was well worth feeling drained now that he was able to kiss Eddie; at least he hoped so. 

Eddie had given him quite the stern look earlier when he sneakily pecked the back of his neck affectionately. 

Richie sighed and rested his forehead against Eddie’s shoulder. He was so fucked (and not how he would have liked.) 

Eddie made a soft questioning noise and reached up to run his fingers through Richie’s hair, brushing right over the spot where his horns would normally be. 

He whined and put both his arm around Eddie, squeezing his midsection exasperatedly. Eddie was going to be the death of him, which was impressive given his typical sugary diet when he didn’t have a health nut roommate. 

“Rich?” Eddie asked quiet and just the slightest bit silky. 

Richie swallowed and returned his chin to his shoulder, smiling crookedly, “Yeah?” 

“What are you doing?” he asked, eyebrow raised adorably. 

He wasn’t about to tell Eddie about his incubus struggles, not with a group of their friends in the same room. “Just tired,” Richie settled on. (It wasn’t even technically a lie.) 

“Oh.” Eddie nodded and then shyly added, “Do you want to go get the blankets from the trunk?” 

“Hmm,” Richie hummed non-committedly; he really didn’t want to let Eddie go. 

“Or we could just...” he trailed off and leaned over the side of the chair to push on the lever. 

Richie let out a embarrassingly shocked squeak when his legs were swept off the floor. 

He could work with this though, he decided as he leaned further back. Eddie was pulled along with him but he wasn’t making any complaints about it so there was that. 

“Better?” Eddie asked, gingerly shifting them so that he could curl into Richie’s side. 

“Yeah,” Richie answered dazed, grateful that Beverly had stolen his bag of potato chips because “he was chewing too loud.” It made it much easier to just melt into Eddie, who had his head nested against his chest. He was positive that he could hear his pulse, but Richie wasn’t embarrassed to have Eddie know just how much he affected him. 

Eddie regarded Richie carefully before gently removing his glasses and folding them neatly for the side table. He smiled a small shy thing and Richie’s face burned even though all he could see was vague blurred features. There was something just so intimate about letting someone touch your glasses, your very sight if one would have it. 

“Thanks,” he whispered softly, trying to ignore the fact that he could hear chattering from the peanut gallery. Richie blindly flipped them off when he heard Stan say something about them being sickeningly domestic to watch. They’d already decided there wasn’t anything specific between them and he didn’t want Eddie to be uncomfortable. 

He wasn’t even really sure that Eddie heard them as well though, given that he didn’t openly react to it. 

Richie sighed and put his hand back down, this time resting it against Eddie’s shoulder blade. He affectionately pressed circles into it which had Eddie sighing and going a bit boneless; something that caused Bill to snicker- he assumed he’d be caught again. 

Now that he couldn’t really see anything, there wasn’t anything else he could do to occupy himself with which was making him a bit jittery. Richie was pretty sure that Eddie was well on his way to falling asleep though, so he closed his eyes as well and stopped his halfhearted massage. 

Richie drifted off cringing about sleeping in his jeans. Eddie had no qualms with it though and he was not about to bother him (mostly because he wasn’t sure he’d be able to convince him to cuddle back up). 

When he woke up the next morning, someone had kindly thrown a blanket over them and he had Eddie’s head tucked up under his chin, his breath tickling Richie’s neck. He lazily felt around for his glasses so he could properly appreciate the moment in full hd quality. 

Beverly and Ben were nowhere to be seen but that made sense considering it was their apartment, so they had their own bedrooms. 

As for the couch trio, only Mike and Stan remained on top of it... well for the most part. It looked like Stan was a few minutes away from being on the floor where Bill already was hoarding the blankets that Ben and Bev had been sharing. Richie watched as Stan shifted and half fell without so much as a flinch or outside indication that he’d noticed; he was mildly impressed. 

There was various bits of trash and half eaten snacks just laying around and Richie smiled knowing it was going to drive Eddie insane when he woke up. A few other movie cases had joined the growing stack of movies since they’d fallen asleep which gave a rough indication for how much later the others had stayed up. 

It had to be fairly early in the morning considering the sunlight pouring through the opened curtains. Richie sighed contentedly and nested into Eddie to let himself doze off halfheartedly while he could. He didn’t let himself go back to sleep but there wasn’t much else to do aside from creepily watch his friends sleep. 

Thankfully Eddie was slowly starting to wake up as well, if his shuffling and low drawn out groan were any indication. 

“Morning, Spageds,” Richie grinned lazily, voice only a little raspy with sleep. 

“Ugh, my name’s Eddie,” he exasperatedly said in response. 

“Hm,” he hummed not paying that any mind as he pulled Eddie so that he was officially just laying on top of him. Richie decided to be a little bold and kissed the crown of his head just because he could. 

“Richie,” he whined squirming. “I need up.” 

“Fiiiiine.” 

Richie let him go and put the footrest down. He wanted to get up and stretch anyways and now he had no reason not to since Eddie was walking away, presumably to use the bathroom or wash his face or something. 

When he came back, Richie was in the middle of working the kinks out of his neck from sleeping in a chair. Eddie paused looking over at Stan, Mike, and Bill for a little while, biting his lip and toying with the hem of his shirt. Eventually he locked eyes with Richie and smiled. 

Eddie carefully stepped over Bill’s sprawling limbs and walked right up to him. He searched Richie’s face for a few tense moments before gingerly grabbing his shoulders and pulling him down into a kiss. 

Richie chocked on his breath and hurried to reciprocate. He hadn’t been expecting something like that to happen with three of their friends in the same room, but he wasn’t complaining. It was soft and delicate, an ideal lazy morning kiss. 

His hands cupped Eddie’s jaw, gently stroking as he tilted his head to the left to make the angle better. Eddie sighed into the kiss and he wasn’t sure his pulse would ever return to normal at this rate. Richie had to fight back a groan when Eddie all but buried his hands into his hair, nipping at his bottom lip in an attempt to deepen the kiss. 

Too fast. 

They were going too fast and he knew it. 

Eddie whined when he pulled away from the kiss and _fuck._ Richie was _weak_ so he dipped back in and stole a couple short kisses. 

“Rich?” he asked sweetly, lips plush and pink. 

He swallowed thickly and pulled his eyes away from his lips to look at Eddie’s eyes. Richie cleared his scratchy, dry throat and smiled sheepishly, “Aren’t we moving a little fast?” 

Eddie shrugged. 

_Shrugged._

What was he even supposed to take away from that?? 

Richie sighed and pressed his forehead to Eddie’s a touch exasperated even if he couldn’t help but smile a bit over how ridiculous it was. 

“Our friends are right there,” he whispered gently. 

“Sleeping,” Eddie grinned looking downright mischievous at that moment. He leaned up and gave him one last quick kiss before backing away half a step. “I get what you're saying though.” 

Richie wasn’t convinced that he did know but that was beside the point now. 

Now that Eddie wasn’t distracted by any possible ulterior motives, he observed the state of the living room. He looked horrified at the spilled chips on the floor, which was admittedly a pretty funny to Richie. 

“Do you think they’d be mad if we bailed early?” Richie asked as he toed the half-eaten chip bag that caused the spill. 

“We could leave a note and bring them a box of apology doughnuts?” Eddie offered not able to tear his eyes away from the scene. 

“Sounds good to me,” Richie smiled softly, grabbing Eddie’s hand and leading him away from the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: take things slow  
also me: nah, i don't think i will
> 
> So anyway, I might be planning to dip into _spicier_ content in the coming chapters- after a little more development tho... Just a heads up that the rating is likely to be upped in like five or so chapters


	30. Donuts and boundaries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donuts are purchased and more conversations are had.

Eddie wasn’t even fully aware himself what possessed him to kiss Richie that morning. He wasn't complaining by any means though and kept stealing glances at Richie while he was driving. His heart swooped and everything felt fuzzy- unlike anything he had ever had with Myra. 

There wasn’t really any denying to himself now that he was just using her as a means of lying to himself and keeping his mother placated. He mostly tried not to think about his family after what happened the last time he saw his mother. 

He couldn’t help but still want her approval though; old habits die hard. Regardless he knew that he would never be able to love her with the same childlike innocence he used to, that had been corroding away for years now. College was good for him, gave him space and allowed him to expand his little support group from more than just Bill. 

Eddie couldn’t help but feel lost now though. He’d never been in a relationship of any kind with a man, not that there was an official one to be had with Richie quite yet. Despite not putting a label onto it, Eddie couldn’t deny that he was really happy that Richie seemed entirely okay to provide him with all the affection he wanted to a degree. He had the sense to stop him when he was overwhelmed with Eddie which he appreciated. Now he wouldn’t feel like he was taking too much because he knew that Richie would stop him if necessary. 

His heart swelled and even though it went against his driving precautions, he reached over and grabbed Richie’s hand from the center console. He didn’t even try biting back the lazy grin he got from Richie lacing their fingers together more comfortably. 

“Did you text the group chat?” he asked as he focused harder on the road, being extra cautious now that he was driving one handed. 

“Yeah, I asked for doughnut requests just in case any of them woke up before we got to the store,” Richie said as he scrolled through his phone. “No replies yet though.” 

Eddie had stopped him from rummaging around their house for a notepad, insisting that a text would be fine. He didn’t want to intrude on anything since this was his first time at Ben and Beverly’s apartment. (_Benverly’s apartment_ his mind helpfully reminded, sticking to Richie’s nicknames.) They left soon after that with Richie grabbing the last of the gummy worms to split between them; it was less than a handful, so Eddie only had two before letting him have what was left. 

The radio wasn’t playing Spanish pop anymore only because it was focused on the morning news when Eddie started the car and Richie didn’t want to listen to reports. Currently it was playing some very classy orchestra arrangement on a low volume. Eddie was beginning to wonder if Richie would ever play any mainstream music, particularly in a language that he was fully familiar with. 

The classic station was nice though and added a nice backdrop to his wondering thoughts. He still wanted to ask about the incubus situation some more but didn’t really want to have that conversation in the car; he wanted to at least wait until they were home before springing that one on him. 

“Should we talk about this morning?” Richie asked nervously after a few minutes passed. 

Eddie could feel his palm sweat a bit and he wasn’t sure if it was Richie’s or not; possibly a combination of both? He didn’t want to let go to dry his hand off though, so he just elected to ignore it. 

“I guess we should,” he agreed not entirely sure where they were going with this. 

“Yeah, set some boundaries,” Richie added without really adding anything. 

“Okay,” Eddie cleared his throat. “So, what are you against us doing?” 

Richie chocked a bit and when Eddie glanced over, he was very red and shy. “Maybe just slow down with the kisses?” 

“I can do that,” he smiled, his own cheeks turning pink. “Let me know if I do go overboard though.” 

“Sure,” Richie nodded. “Is this okay though?” he lifted their joined hands. 

“Holding hands?” Eddie asked confused. “I started this so yeah I suppose so.” 

“Okay but even...” he looked away bashfully, “even in public?” 

“Oh,” Eddie paused. 

Truthfully, he wasn’t sure; Myra was his only recent reference point for relationships and that wasn’t exactly the greatest example to base a relationship on. Eddie personally liked the contact, but he was also used to only getting it in public as a way of showing off which left a bit of an off taste in his mouth, considering that he wouldn’t want that with Richie. 

“I’m not sure,” he decided to just tell Richie. “Maybe we can just play that by ear?” 

“Keep it low key?” 

“For now,” Eddie agreed, squeezing Richie’s hand. 

“Okay,” he breathed as Eddie finally pulled into the parking lot. 

Everything was a little more tense after they’d gotten out of the car. Eddie sort of regretted putting a restriction on hand holding but put that behind him; he didn’t want to come across as overly needy or clingy. 

No one had bothered to respond to Richie’s group message; but Eddie did notice that both Ben and Beverly had seen the message. He hoped they weren’t upset with them but figured the right doughnuts could heal most wounds- they could certainly fix this one at least. 

It was really hard to believe that Richie was anything but human right now. Eddie could still see the points where his horns were artfully hidden but that was only because he’d had enough experience to know that was where they should be. 

Right now, Richie was pressed up against the doughnut display and silently eyeing down all the choices. 

Eddie hated that he found it adorable, especially when he started to fog up the glass a bit. 

He grimaced and pulled Richie back so he wasn’t right up against the case. 

“We could just... ya know... open it?” he offered. 

“I guess,” Richie shrugged, cheeks faintly pink as he tugged the glass door open. 

It was too early to call him on his bullshit, so Eddie just let him be while he struggled to assemble the flimsy box- which was not going well. 

“Here let me,” Richie said and carefully took the box away from him, their hands brushing in the process. 

Eddie pouted but didn’t say a word as he effortlessly put the box together and handed it back with a cheeky grin. 

“Just pick some doughnuts already,” he sighed, scuffing his shoe shyly on the linoleum. 

Richie laughed and obediently started piling them in as requested, going with an eclectic assortment of tiger tails, sugar coated, and jelly/custards. 

“Would you let me eat a doughnut in the car if I asked nicely?” he asked sweetly, grinning at him hopefully. 

“I’ll let you eat one in the parking lot before we drive back,” Eddie replied coldly. He did not spend all these years denying his friends whiny complaints and requests just to cave now. Eddie had standards and he refused to let himself fold just because he started liking a boy. 

“I’ll take what I can get,” Richie shrugged, effortlessly looping his arm with Eddie’s as he led them away from the doughnut case. 

Eddie hummed and leaned into the contact; he wondered if there was any romantic implications for Richie or if it was purely platonic for him. Either way, his pulse jumped and sung Richie’s praises in the most deliciously addictive way; he could see himself getting used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Midterms are next week for me and oh man, I'm stressed! But like a good stressed?  
Idk it's weird; most of my classes are pleasant this semester though so I don't mind the studying. That being said, I'm 100% passing out after posting this lmao


	31. Incubi biology lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie lets Eddie in on some new details.

The doughnut delivery went off quite well, not that Eddie had expected less. No one really complained about free food unless they had allergies or dietary restrictions. 

They’d stuck around for a little bit and helped clean up, but only because Eddie would feel too bad about leaving their apartment in that state. He hoped they’d remember that if a movie night ever happened at his apartment because he’d go mental if his home was left in that condition. 

Eddie was particularly impressed when Stan woke up, still half-on-the-couch/ half-on-the-floor. He'd simply glanced at his friends and carefully got up, stretching out and letting his joints crack quite loudly in a way that could not have been healthy as a regular occurrence. Not a word was said as he accepted a doughnut and shuffled around Bill. 

He left with Richie soon after that, mostly because seeing messy rooms made him think of the things he had at his apartment that need cleaning. Eddie hadn’t vacuumed in a while and his skin was crawling after seeing so many crumbs. 

It just so happened that he could also hold a more serious sit down with Richie in their apartment as well. 

The question burning on his tongue was why Richie was still living with Eddie. It was a bit pessimistic but he was sure that Richie had somewhere else that he lived when he wasn’t being summoned and his apartment wasn’t that great. 

He liked to think that he had a big part in that but he was sure that it was mostly a combination of all their friends. 

Still it wasn’t like Richie couldn’t have this with anyone... Right? 

“Whatcha thinkin’ ‘bout Eds?” Richie asked, seating himself leisurely into the open space next to Eddie on the couch. (He had big plans for cleaning but had sat down immediately when they’d gotten home.) 

“Would you be upset if I said I was thinking about you?” Eddie answered with a question of his own. 

“Only if it’s bad things,” he hummed and draped his arm over Eddie’s shoulders. “Why? What’s up?” 

“Where did you live, you know before this?” Eddie asked gently, throwing his hand out to gesticulate at the apartment. 

“I think you’ve already got some suspicions and you’re probably right with them,” Richie said vaguely. 

“Hell,” Eddie whispered. 

“...California actually but with traffic it’s close enough,” Richie laughed. 

“Wait, what?” Eddie snapped his head over to look at Richie. “Are you serious??” 

He felt like he was having whiplash from the turn; was Hell even a place then? More importantly, why the fuck would he be suspecting Richie to be from California? 

“Sorry if that ruins the bad boy demon image,” Richie grinned. “Most of us prefer to have a physical vessel.” 

Eddie was so lost. 

“I’m sorry but could you elaborate for me, please?” he asked, skipping over the ‘bad boy’ part. 

Richie sighed and scratched the back of his neck idly, “I guess it’s time for the whole biology lesson.” 

Eddie nodded and shifted to give Richie his full attention. If he wanted this to go anywhere, Eddie should probably know more about his future potential boyfriend. He was blushing at that thought and quickly shook those thoughts off before he could derail his concentration. 

He took a moment to compose himself, sort of just staring into wall. “Incubi aren’t actually that different from humans when you get into the nitty gritty of it,” Richie started and gave Eddie a look when he was going to interrupt to counter what he’d just said. 

“We aren’t born with proper forms; they are built up with collection of energy- sort of like osmosis in a way?” Richie didn’t look too sure on that which made Eddie wonder how much he actually knew about the subject. “It can take years to gather enough power to manifest this way but there are some shortcuts to it.” 

Eddie wanted to ask more about it but Richie powered on, “Once there’s a physical form, it’s much easier to find a way to feed and most of us chose to live as you would.” 

“...So you just have an apartment or something just abandoned in California?” 

Richie shrugged sheepishly and weakly defended himself with, “It takes a lot of effort to get all the way across the coast.” 

“That didn’t answer the question,” he said, rolling his eyes fondly. 

He hummed to that but didn’t actually say anything to clarify. 

“What’s it like to have a tail?” Eddie asked to fill the awkward silence upon seeing it swish against the floor. 

“I dunno; what’s it like to not have one, Eds?” he swatted his calf with his tail, “I have nothing to compare it to.” 

He clucked his tongue and nodded. 

“Do you have any family?” Eddie asked softly after a bit of thinking. 

“That one’s a little tricky,” Richie mused. “I doubt it, but I suppose it’s possible?” 

“Isn’t that lonely?” he followed up with, his heart heavy. Eddie didn’t particularly care for his, but at least they were there for him if he truly needed. 

He smiled somberly and shrugged, “I got you now, Eddie Spaghetti.” 

His breath caught and he cursed himself for being weak over such an overused line. Regardless, Eddie reached out and grabbed Richie’s hand for reassurance. 

He wasn’t sure who he was reassuring. 

“Any other pressing questions?” Richie asked fondly. 

Eddie chewed his lip and nodded, “Just one; are there any other things I should know if we ever... decided to be official?” 

He felt guilty for wording it that way, but he couldn’t take back what he’d said. It twisted his heart a bit but that was fine for now. 

“Uh... nothing comes to mind,” Richie mumbled with colored cheekbones. 

“Okay,” Eddie smiled and pulled Richie closer because he was in the mood to cuddle. He couldn’t help that he was in a bit of a honeymoon state after finally feeling like he was happy with someone. Richie was more than willing to be pliant and slide into place against his side. 

“I really like you,” he confessed softly, turning his face away by hiding it against Richie’s shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Completely just going to skirt around the concepts and ideas of hell because it hurts my brain to work that out lol.


	32. Leases and fruit baskets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally clean up a bit and also have some more serious conversation.

Richie felt like he was going to short circuit or overheat at any moment and giddily held Eddie tighter. The inner incubus in him sang and made him feel a little drunk on it all. 

“I’m glad it’s mutual,” he whispered in return, tempted to just pull Eddie onto his lap so they’d be closer. 

Deep down he could feel the coils of an incubi’s vice starting to simmer but that was fine. Richie had gone longer with less than this before, he could manage it with this. 

Still he felt bad for not telling Eddie the last damning piece of evidence that set his species apart from regular humans. Richie couldn’t help it though; it was embarrassing and only happened when they reached a certain level of bodily distress. 

If a succubus or an incubus hit that level; their body would resort to trying to get mass amount of power in any means necessary- which often left them ill and aching until they’d fulfilled it. On rare occasions, that state would also be triggered if the body believed it should be receiving more energy than it currently was. 

He hadn’t had to deal with a that in years, so really it wasn’t that big of a deal. Still there was a dulled pang that would hit him every so often that worried him a bit. 

Richie sighed and pressed his cheek against Eddie’s head, willing himself to not stress himself out over nothing. 

He was contented and proud with not pushing Eddie into anything. Richie wanted to be different for him, to show him that relationships weren’t about just sacrificing what you wanted. As anxious as it made him, he couldn’t deny that what he was feeling was stronger than what he felt for even his best clients. Eddie _wasn’t_ a client though. 

Eddie stirred and Richie moved away to let him move his face out of his shoulder. 

“I should run the vacuum,” he murmured. 

“Can it wait?” Richie asked selfishly not wanting to let him go. 

“But I didn’t do it last time...” he protested weakly. 

“Five minutes?” 

“Five minutes,” Eddie sighed, accepting the counteroffer. 

It was probably closer to ten minutes before Eddie pried himself away from Richie, who was tempted to whine some more just to see if it would work again. 

“Do you want me to do anything?” Richie asked as he watched Eddie pull the vacuum out of the hall closet. 

Eddie paused and took a quick sweeping glance before nodding hesitantly, “Could you dust for me?” 

“Sure,” he smiled and lazily got off the couch to collect the duster from Eddie. 

“Thanks,” Eddie said letting his fingers brush against Richie’s for longer than what was probably acceptable of a brief moment. “It’ll probably take you half the time it’d take me.” 

Richie blinked before it registered that Eddie probably had to stretch way more to get all the higher shelves; he found the mental image rather adorable but didn’t chose to say anything. “Work smarter, not harder?” he offered. 

Eddie rolled his eyes and nodded, a small grin present despite it. “Just dust and stay out of my way.” 

Richie made a point of getting just close enough to not be in the way but also be obnoxious about it, entirely too happy with the faces that Eddie pulled at him when he’d lazily step over the vacuum. 

“Hey, Rich?” Eddie called softly once they are finished cleaning. 

He hummed and looked over intrigued. 

“I’ve been meaning to ask...” Eddie trailed off and flopped onto the sofa, patting the space next to him. 

Richie obliged and nervously sat down, “Uh, what’s up?” 

“I was just thinking that we should get the lease changed,” he said, pointedly looking everywhere except at Richie. “It’s just that it’s been quite a while and the landlord usually wants to know that stuff; if you move in permanently.” 

“You want me to move in?” Richie asks dumbfounded, feeling quite fuzzy at the thought. 

Eddie glanced at him finally, his brow furrowed, “You already sort of did?” 

Richie smiled and nodded a bit, because oh yeah... he sort of did. 

“I guess we should do that then,” he confirmed happily. “Maybe get a fruit basket as an apology for waiting on changing it?” 

Eddie hummed and leaned into his side, curling up gleefully. “I’m glad you’re here,” he whispered, closing his eyes and missing out on the surprised look Richie was giving him. 

He knew there was something very special with the relationship he was developing with him but to hear that he really wanted him to stick around was really throwing him for a loop. Admittedly he’d been expecting to be asked to leave when Eddie initially brought up the conversation; had grown used to that being the case. 

It was a nice change of pace to be wanted and Richie decided then and there that he would absolutely not fuck this up. 

Not that he planned to do anything else to begin with, just that now he _really_ wanted to make this one work. 

He could be patient while Eddie worked through his feelings and if he just wanted to return to their admittedly not very platonic roommate dynamic than he could live with that- as long as Eddie didn’t ask him to leave. 

“I really like you,” Richie understated and buried his nose into Eddie’s hair. 

Eddie hummed in return and reached out to grab Richie’s hand. He laced their fingers together and squeezed affectionately. 

Richie smiled and ignored how fiercely his heart twisted and thumped. Part of his incubus nature needled forward and made him want to seek out more, he denied it and buried it down as he’d been doing more and more lately. 

He’d never gone this long on such innocent gestures and while he knew it was going to affect him eventually, he also didn’t want to burden Eddie with this- not when everything was so new all over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm definitely going to try my hardest to write that spicy content; there's going to at least one more chapter just so I can hype myself up for it and also to flesh out the relationship a bit more. Any nsfw chapters will be marked as such in the chapter titles when it gets to that point though.


	33. Cereal milk and making out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go 0 to 100 and back to 0 like nothing.

Eddie didn’t actually realize that there was something more going on with Richie at first. He could tell there was a shift happening but had assumed it to be the change from platonic to romance. 

It wasn’t until he noticed Richie’s knuckles turning while from gripping the counter top too hard one day that he’d started to really worry. 

He started to pick up on Richie’s complexion going whiter occasionally but was brushed off whenever he tried to bring it up with him. 

“Richie, are you sure you’re okay?” Eddie asked one morning, getting into his space and anxiously reaching up to feel his forehead. His temperature was warm but not enough for him to determine a fever; some people just ran hotter. 

Richie’s eyes fluttered closed and he leaned into his touch. “’m fine,” his words slurred a bit, only adding to Eddie’s concerns. 

“Richie, you don’t look fine,” Eddie insisted, practically pleading for him to just tell him what was wrong; what he could do to help. 

He sighed and dropped his head to rest onto Eddie’s shoulder, burying his nose against Eddie’s neck. 

“Just give me a few moments,” Richie murmured softly, hands twisted into the fabric of his shirt. 

Eddie sighed and brought his hands up to rubbed at his back soothingly, overcome with worry and not knowing what else to do. He was used to being the weak one, the sick one; and to think that Richie was feeling that way- _actually_ feeling that way. 

_It **hurt.**_

“Please just tell me what to do,” he whispered, gripping back at Richie with the same intensity. 

Richie hesitantly nodded against him, breathing deeply before he verbally said anything. “Just given me a little more time,” he pleaded. 

“Okay,” Eddie broke, chocked up and unable to do anything about it. 

He clung to Richie feeling completely shameless about it, turning his head to rest against Richie’s. 

They stood in the kitchen for a long time, even after the moment had passed. Nothing else was said between them but that was alright. It would be alright.

Only after Eddie’s stomach grumbled did they reluctantly pull apart so that he could finish what he initially came here to do. 

He wasn’t in the mood to actually cook anything now though, so he just poured some cereal despite not feeling that hungry after everything. 

Richie stayed with him, following him over to the couch; tossing his leg over Eddie’s. 

Eddie smiled, feeling bittersweet over it and leaned towards him contently eating his meager cereal. 

“Did you talk to the landlord yet?” Richie asked, cutting through the thick emotional atmosphere. 

“Not yet,” he hummed, spoon hovering over the bowl. “It seemed rude to not bring you with- to introduce you.” 

“Can’t we just call him instead?” Richie pouted, tilting his head back onto the sofa and throwing his arms to stretch out along the back of it. 

“That’s just rude,” Eddie chastised, grabbing his hand to curl it around him instead- causing Richie to hum happily. “We’ve kept you hidden here for so long that I’m sure he’s heard of you.” 

“We should just wait for him to confront us then,” Richie shrugged with his one free shoulder. 

Eddie rolled his eyes, “That’s how you get kicked out of an apartment and I quite like it here.” 

“It could have been fun to see how long he took though,” Richie waved him off casually. 

He hummed, quietly agreeing- wondering if his landlord would actually confront them over it. They really should get him a fruit basket for turning the blind eye for so long. 

“We can talk to him Monday,” Richie offered. “Let him enjoy the weekend before we drop paperwork on him.” 

“That’s reasonable,” Eddie agreed because he also didn’t want to go deal with getting the lease paperwork redone. “You wouldn’t happen to have any ID cards, would you?” 

Richie tutted him but nodded, “Just because I’m broke doesn’t mean I don’t keep my wallet on me when I travel.” 

Eddie looked at him expectantly. 

“Okay, so maybe I don’t have it right now,” he confessed. “It’s in the bathroom.” 

“As long as you don’t lose it before we have to go talk to him than it’s fine,” Eddie laughed. “Just make sure it’s up to date and valid.” 

“Well, it’s from California; does that matter?” 

“Nah, should be okay.” 

Eddie’s cereal was now soggier than he liked but that was fine. He felt much better now and managed to eat the rest of his snack/meal. 

“Are you going to drink that?” Richie asked eyeing Eddie’s cereal milk. 

He raised his eyebrow and passed the bowl over, mildly curious, “Knock yourself out.” 

“Thanks,” he chirped taking his arm back to properly enjoy his spoils. 

Eddie regretted his decision now but only because he was cold. He was happy that Richie seemed to be returning back to his normal self. 

Besides he could just do that himself Eddie decided and put his own arm around Richie. 

Richie made a chocked off noise but didn’t start actually chocking so he left his arm there, gleefully acknowledging the pigment appearing on the tips of Richie’s ears. 

“Is this okay?” he asked innocently. 

“Yes, please keep doing that,” Richie confirmed, face red still cradling the half drank bowl of milk. 

Eddie smiled squeezing his shoulder happily. 

He never thought he’d find himself so enamored with someone who wanted to drink his cereal milk, but he supposed there were worse things. Richie never tried to control his life, if anything he liked to make Eddie go outside of his comfort zone- thrift stores, take out, not immediately doing the laundry when the hamper was full. 

Okay, maybe that last one wasn’t so good- but the point still stood that living with Richie was making him a more well-rounded person overall. 

“I’m glad you’re here, even if you are kind of gross,” he said sweetly. 

Richie pulled a face at him and set the empty bowl to the side. “You’re gross,” he countered eloquently. 

“Says the person who drank my cereal milk.” 

“Cereal milk is the best milk,” Richie defended. 

“I’m not saying it isn’t but that was mine.” 

“Then you shouldn’t have given it to me,” he chided, tapping Eddie’s nose cheekily. 

“Shut up,” Eddie groaned, shoving Richie’s knee off his leg. 

_“Make me.” _

Eddie raised his eyebrow at the challenge before nodding, steeling his nerves. 

He swung himself onto Richie’s lap and leaned in. 

“Okay,” he whispered and then kissed Richie. 

Richie inhaled sharply as if he hadn’t expected that outcome but rested his hands on Eddie’s hips, kissing back enthusiastically. He nipped at Eddie’s bottom lip and he let him in, groaning a bit at the sensation. 

Eddie buried his hands in Richie’s curls and tilted his head a little to give them a better angle to work with. 

His heart was soaring and he couldn’t bring himself to pull away for longer than necessary, panting against Richie’s lips. 

“Richie,” he whispered, feeling more wrecked than he’d ever had in his whole life- wanting more but unsure how to go about it. 

Richie crashed his lips back to Eddie’s greedily licking into his mouth, hands ghosting over his back as if he were scared to actually touch him. 

They kissed heatedly for a few more minutes before Richie abruptly pulled away, squawking that he needed a shower and vacating the room leaving Eddie frustrated and alone with his thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About to jump into the deep end next chapter so buckle in for that; this chapter was mainly just to show that Eddie has interests with taking the next step.  
Also I'm convinced it's love if you let someone have your cereal milk because that's lowkey gross and the fact Eddie just let it happen-


	34. NSFW: Burnt toast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie comes home early

The day it all came to a head, Richie was thankful that Eddie was not currently at the apartment. 

He had been casually making himself some toast as a snack when it suddenly felt like someone sucker punched all the air from his body. Richie crumpled in on himself, feeling feverish. 

The sound of the toast popping up was distant and unimportant in comparison to the searing ache in his gut. Tears threatened to prick at his eyes, but he willed them away through sheer stubbornness. 

Richie took a deep breath and slowly righted himself, leaning heavily on the kitchen counter. He’d forgotten how much of a pain this was to go through. 

Inhaling deeply from his nose, he steeled himself and all but dragged himself against the counter and later the wall towards Eddie’s room. His thoughts felt hazy and he just wanted to be comforted, taken care of while he ached. 

When he finally made it all the way to his destination, Richie collapsed and curled in on himself trying not to think about how much his want was hurting him. He could feel his urges getting worse now that he’d surrounded himself with Eddie’s smell. 

Richie groaned and screwed his eyes shut so overwhelmed that he’d almost missed the door closing and telltale signs that Eddie was back. 

“Richie?” he heard Eddie call out from the other room. “You left toast in the toaster?” 

He whimpered and wished he’d disappear. This was quickly spiraling into a mess that he wasn’t prepared to deal with. Richie pulled the edge of the blanket over himself in a poor attempt of hiding the state he’d taken on. 

“Richie?” Eddie said, footsteps drawing closer- Richie's heart jumped to his throat. 

He’d left the door open and couldn’t bring himself to do anything about it but wait. 

It wasn’t long before Eddie spotted him and walked into his room; his bag still cradled in his arms Richie noted distractedly. 

“What are you doing, Rich?” he asked sweetly, not yet picking up on Richie’s predicament. 

Richie swallowed thickly and went to sit up but instead ended up almost keeling over with a strong burst of longing. A gasp left his lips and Eddie dropped his bag to be at Richie’s side; his hand brushing against his forehead- which even to him felt damp with sweat. 

“Richie?” Eddie asked urgently, a distinct note of panic as he pulled Richie into a sitting position. 

“Shit,” he hissed, eyes screwed shut. 

Richie panted and grabbed at Eddie’s wrist, “I’m fine, it’s just an incubus thing.” 

“An incubus thing?” Eddie looked near hysterical. “I thought you’d told me there _wasn’t_ anything else.” 

“It’s not bad; my body just thinks it needs more energy,” he leaned into Eddie, his senses all but screaming for more contact. “I’m in survival mode,” Richie joked weakly. 

“Energy...” Eddie said slowly, visibly calming. “Okay, so...” 

He trailed off and brushed his hand against Richie’s cheek to cup it; his eyes fluttered shut and he kissed Richie, pulling him closer getting dangerously close to finding something that Richie was really praying he wouldn’t notice. 

Still Richie couldn’t resist and leaned into it, swiping his tongue greedily along Eddie’s bottom lip and grasping at his shoulders frantically. 

Eddie made a soft noise and nipped back at Richie before deepening the kiss in a way that was not very coordinated but just what Richie wanted. His hand had drifted from his cheek back into Richie’s hair and he accidentally pulled it when his fingers got tangled in the curls, brushing against the base of his horns. 

Richie pulled away gasping; eyes blown out, cheeks red and while Eddie seemed to be in a similar state- he managed to still look composed. He felt like everything was on display but that was okay, Richie decided as he dipped back in to kiss Eddie again before he could say anything about the noise he’d just made. 

Eddie crawled onto his lap, his knee brushing against his obvious arousal in the process. There was a charged pause but then he returned with something close to desperation as he tugged at his hair again- this time with more purpose. 

He went to pull away again and Eddie shifted his focus to leaving searing lingering kisses along his jawline. Richie whined weakly and with a great effort pulled him away. 

“Too much?” Eddie asked much to Richie’s exasperation. 

_“T-too much?”_ he asked incredulously, still panting from his ministrations. “I should be asking you that, what are you doing?” 

Eddie paused and looked away bashfully. “...Are those lessons still on the table?” 

“Lessons?” Richie blanked. 

He bit his lip and looked Richie dead in the eye when he rocked gently against his thigh with the start erection of his own. 

Richie inhaled sharply and swallowed, “Are you sure?” 

“Yes,” Eddie whispered; Richie’s hands shook when he let himself finally grip Eddie’s hips. 

They met again in an urgent kiss, more teeth than tongue, and Richie wasn’t entirely sure who started that. His fingers slipped up under Eddie’s shirt, brushing against the smooth toned skin and instinctively causing Eddie to buck against him. 

Eddie broke the kiss and took his own shirt off before returning to his earlier work on Richie’s jawline, moving his way steadily down onto his neck. 

Normally Richie would be disappointed with the lack of a show, but with Eddie he couldn’t bring himself to care; greedily running his hands along his sides, over his ribs- basking in the little sounds. Eddie tugged his shirt to the side leaving more sloppy kisses in his wake and making Richie regret not tearing his own shirt off earlier- he hadn’t thought to because he’d been quite transfixed. Part of him still wasn’t sure this was even reality. 

And then Eddie bit down on the juncture as gently as one could, all but ripping a moan from Richie. 

He pushed Eddie’s head away and in his rush to get his shirt off somehow managed to get his arms caught in the process. It was incredibly unsexy, but Eddie didn’t seem to mind. He took it in stride and helped him pull his arms free, only giggling a little bit. 

Richie pouted but pulled Eddie so that he was now laying on the bed with Richie straddling him. He brushed his finger along his flushed cheekbone, “Still doing good?” 

“Yeah,” Eddie breathed, a little wide eyed. 

Richie smiled and kissed him gently, a vast contrast to the previous ones shared. His hands trailed up Eddie’s toned muscles, quietly memorizing and soaring at how much trust he was being given. He was starting to feel a bit dizzy from how much energy he’d already gotten from the brief moment thus far. 

He brushed his finger in a slow curious circle around Eddie’s nipple, trying to interpret the resulting shudder without breaking the kiss. Richie only broke it so that he could lavish Eddie in return for his early kisses; he was fairly sure that last one was going to leave a mark. He slowly worked his way down to his neck, pausing over his pulse point and indulging in the soft groans that Eddie was making when Richie renewed his interest in his nipples; taking them in his hands and rolling, occasionally pinching when the mood struck him. 

Richie hummed and nipped his pulse before making his way lower, kissing down his torso while Eddie’s hands wondered over his arms never seeming to settle in one place for long. He stopped at his hip, paying it some special attention and playfully sucking at it, taking great joy in the gasp that left Eddie. 

“Richie,” he panted, looking up at him with glossy eyes and kiss swollen lips. “Please.” 

His heart pounded and he hooked his fingers into Eddie’s jeans, watching for any signs that wasn’t what he wanted. In response, Eddie lifted his hips to allow him to slip them off easier. 

Richie caught his own lip between his teeth and slid them off slowly, leaving Eddie in a tight pair of black briefs that didn’t leave much to the imagination. He swallowed thickly and bent one of his legs to give himself better access to his glorious thighs. 

Feeling particularly bold, he pressed one of his hands against Eddie’s cock, pleased with the sharp exhale and low moan. Richie sucked a light mark onto his thigh; he knew immediately after that it would likely darken up more than he’d meant for it to. Oops.

Eddie pressed up against his hand and Richie abandoned his current objective for better things, draping Eddie's leg over his shoulder and blowing warm air against his clothed arousal which caused Eddie to writhe and moan his name low and huskily. 

Richie hummed happily and mouthed against him teasingly, brushing his finger lightly against his length. Eddie tangled his hands in his hair again and pulled causing Richie to forget what he was doing for a second, groaning throatily. 

“Stop teasing,” Eddie pleaded and who was Richie to deny that. He slid the briefs down Eddie’s legs, admiring his cock and also taking the time to take his own pants off because he was still straining painfully against them. 

Richie licked his lips and slyly kissed his way back up his leg, pressing a tender kiss to the mark he’d left earlier apologetically. He looked up and lost his breath; Eddie looked wrecked. Richie was pretty sure that he loved him. 

After a quick moment to compose himself, he lapped at the precum spilling from the tip. Richie found the salty tang to be pleasant, a bit grounding. 

Eddie gasped and Richie held his hips down to keep him from bucking when he wasn’t ready. He waited until he had his full attention before slowly sinking down, taking him into his mouth and working his tongue over the length. 

Richie faltered and groaned when he pulled his hair a little rougher but managed to recover quickly. 

“Shit, Rich,” Eddie gasped, half slurred when his nose finally brushed against his hip. 

He hummed cheekily, making him moan rather loudly. Richie’s jaw ached from the strain of being out of practice. 

Every so often they’d lock eyes and Richie couldn’t even bring himself to be embarrassed when Eddie was looking at him like that with the heel of his foot digging between his shoulder blades. He’d moved one of his hands from Richie’s hair so that he could bit down on one of his fingers so as not to make as much noise. Richie wasn’t so fond of that, even if it was really hot. 

He pulled off Eddie’s cock with an audible pop and stifled groan. Richie moved up and pulled Eddie’s hand away from his face lacing it with his own. 

“I want to hear you,” he whispered (only a little raspy from what he was doing) and kissed the corner of his mouth before returning to giving him a blowjob, this time holding Eddie’s hand- which made Richie feel more vulnerable for some stupid reason. 

Now that Eddie’s leg wasn’t flung over his shoulder, with one less thing holding him in the moment, Richie massaged gentle circles against Eddie’s hipbone to draw out soft self-conscious noises. He rewarded him by licking greedily from the base to the tip before taking the head again and swirling his tongue around it- taking him back in much quicker than earlier. 

“Rich-_ie!”_ he chocked, head thrown to the side and squeezing down on Richie’s hand. 

He groaned his agreement, drinking in the sight and committing it to memory. Richie started to work double time, determined to finish him off to get the full picture. 

“Rich, please,” Eddie whined, eyes darkened and half lidded. He had a vice grip on Richie’s hand and his knuckles were whitened under the force, but Richie couldn’t bring himself to care- in the moment he couldn’t feel it. “I need-” 

Richie with his hollowed-out cheeks, relinquished his hold on Eddie’s hip gently coaxing him to do what he wanted; brushing his hand along his side. 

Eddie groaned loudly and tugged Richie’s hair; he weakly thrust upwards, his hips stuttering. “Richie! I-” 

He closed his eyes and threw his head back with Richie’s name on his tongue, spilling into Richie’s mouth. 

Richie swallowed what he could and licked up what remained of the mess, feeling quite contented. He quietly reached down into his boxers to take care of himself while Eddie panted and got his wits back. 

“Richie,” Eddie said shyly, sitting up and reaching out towards him. “Do you mind if I...?” 

His breath caught when Eddie’s gaze traveled downwards. He stilled his hand, “Are you sure?” 

“Yeah,” Eddie smiled and crawled next to him, fingers hooking into his waistband. “Can I?” 

_“Fuck,”_ Richie whined nodding. “Please do.” 

Eddie slid his boxers down to his knees and took Richie in his hand, drawing a low whine out of him. 

Richie closed his eyes and leaned onto Eddie’s shoulder; his heart felt like it was barely contained in his chest and it wasn’t even a very good handjob. 

“Flick your wrist,” he panted- gripping the blanket in one hand, the other grasping weakly at Eddie’s arm. Richie groaned throatily when he complied, selfishly sucking another mark onto him. 

Eddie whimpered and with his not busy hand tilted Richie’s head back by pulling him by his horn, taking him in another series of searing kisses, seeming not to mind the aftertaste. 

“T-tighter,” Richie strained between kisses. 

He instinctively arched his back, knowing he wasn’t going to last much longer. 

_“Eddie!”_ he gasped into the kiss as he came. 

Eddie stroked him through his orgasm, kissing sweetly along his cheeks as if his fingers weren’t covered in Richie’s cum. 

Richie pushed his hand away when the pleasure was bordering painful and flopped back onto the mattress to catch his breath. He flopped his arm lazily over his eyes and the next time he dared a peek at Eddie, he was tentatively lapping his tongue over one of his fingers. 

Eddie’s face crinkled at the taste and Richie bit down on his lip to stop from giggling at how surreal this was. What was even happening?

He didn't know and for once he was okay with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... here we are. I hope no one I know irl finds this lmao.  
That being said; thanks to everyone who's been reading thus far and putting up with me. Even though, I'm too shy to respond to comments most the time; I do read every one of them and they make me really happy. So, yeah, thanks for sticking around!


	35. NSFW: Morning showers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ngl, this is like pure smut

Richie woke up feeling sated and completely at peace. He groggily opened his eyes surprised that he could still see clearly before slowly realizing that he’d fallen asleep with his glasses on again. 

It took an embarrassingly long time to notice that he had Eddie curled up half on top of him and even longer still for all the memories of the previous evening to come back to him. 

A noise of disbelief died off in his throat when Eddie shifted in his sleep. 

He decided not to worry about it and contented himself observing the freckles on Eddie’s shoulder that he hadn’t been able to fully appreciate yet. 

“Penny for your thoughts?” Eddie mumbled, voice thick with sleep. 

“Oh!” Richie jolted, he hadn’t noticed him waking up. 

“I was just noticing all the freckles,” he grinned sheepishly. “They’re cute.” 

“Mm,” Eddie hummed and nuzzled back into Richie’s chest. “You’re cute.” 

“S-should we talk about it?” he asked nervously, silently cursing that Eddie would be able to hear and feel his racing heart. 

Eddie rubbed the sleep from his eyes and nodded, “I guess so; you didn’t even react to my comment.” 

Richie couldn’t help but feel that Eddie was entirely too collected about this whole thing. 

They’d slept together for god’s sake. 

His face felt far to heated and the incubus part of him was ashamed to be so nervous about it. He chewed his lip and tried to formulate the right words to start with. 

Eddie beat him to it, “Do you regret it?” 

The sheen of worry in his eyes drew out Richie’s impulsive response, “No!” 

He would never regret intimacy with people he loved, but he could regret the circumstances that brought it about. 

Eddie smiled softly, “I don’t either.” 

“...You don’t?” Richie asked feeling fragile. 

“I’d do it again,” he added cheekily and trailed his eyes down Richie’s chest. 

“Stop that!” he chastised now painfully aware of the lack of clothing between them. Feeling a little scandalized, Richie pulled the sheet over himself a little more. 

“Really though,” Eddie started after a moment. “I should have brought this up a while ago but... I’d like to call you my boyfriend?” He finished his query and then hid his flushed face in the blanket. 

Richie had never been a boyfriend before. (Not officially.) 

“I’d like that,” his heart thumped, barely contained by his chest, and he couldn’t have stopped the grin that split his face if he wanted to. 

Eddie looked up and mirrored his joy in a more subdued fashion, “Yeah?” 

“Absolutely,” Richie confirmed pulling Eddie up so that he could kiss his _boyfriend._

The kiss was short lived with Eddie pushing his face away, nose crinkled up. 

“Ugh, brush your teeth first,” he complained lightheartedly. 

“You knew what you were getting into,” Richie grinned and kissed his cheek. 

“I guess I did,” Eddie sighed and then kissed him gently, much to Richie’s surprise. “Still gross,” he whispered as they parted. 

Richie laughed and shook his head, “Let’s go brush our teeth so I can make out with you then.” 

Eddie rolled his eyes but was the first one to get out of bed, looking pointedly at Richie to follow him when he didn’t move to join him. (He couldn’t help it though, not when Eddie wasn’t wearing anything.) 

“I guess you don’t want to join me in the shower then?” he asked over his shoulder. 

Richie perked up, “Is that on the table?” 

“It is if you hurry up,” Eddie rolled his eyes but smiled at him while he went through his closet to pick out what to wear for his classes. 

“I’ll go start the water,” Richie chimed and finally got up. 

He took the time that Eddie was still in his room to ruminate on his feelings about what had happened in less than twenty-four hours. Richie had already accepted that he had fallen in love with Eddie, not much had changed post orgasm haze in that regard, so he was thrilled that Eddie was comfortable enough to finally attach a label to what was going on with them. 

They should probably set some rules in place for this shift in their dynamic that occurred last night, but Richie was more than willing to work with anything that Eddie would give him. He was still surprised that Eddie had made the first move but to be fair Richie wasn’t sure he would have been able to do that- he wasn’t about to move too quickly and ruin their relationship after all. 

“Really put the work in starting the shower,” Eddie teased as he walked in to find that Richie had spaced out what he said he was going to do. He took his wrist and pulled him into the shower, turning the knob as he went. 

“Shit!” Richie yelped at the cold water while Eddie laughed at him, safely sheltered from the initial spray. “You did that on purpose,” he accused unable to actually be annoyed with him. 

“You were supposed to start it, so that’s on you,” Eddie shrugged, leaning into the shower now that it warmed up to a decent temperature. 

Richie sighed because really, Eddie had a point there. 

He grabbed the shampoo and after a moment's deliberation started to work it into Eddie’s dampened hair. 

Eddie sighed and leaned into the touch greedily, “That’s nice.” He lazily grabbed for the body wash and started to lather it over Richie in response to him washing his hair. 

Richie gasped when his fingers ghosted over a particularly sensitive area and he swallowed thickly feeling the telltale stirring of arousal. 

“Eddie,” he whispered in warning, fingers slipping from his soapy hair down to grasp at his shoulders. 

He pulled away, looking up at Richie with his eyes slightly blown wide. Eddie swallowed and Richie’s eyes tracked the movement with shocked fascination. 

_“Fuck,”_ Richie groaned, ignoring the shampoo and leaning down to kiss him. 

Some of the bottles knocked to the floor and Eddie blindly tried to save them, a valiant effort that wasn’t possible because he didn’t want to pull away from Richie either. 

Richie had him pinned up against the shower wall and trailed searing kisses down Eddie’s jawline. He ducked down and nipped cheekily at his collarbones, leaving a small mark in his wake that Eddie swatted at him for. 

He didn’t look too upset about the bite though, so Richie didn’t apologize, instead he chose to continue to lap at the mark- occasionally getting a hint of shampoo. 

Richie spit at the taste and pulled Eddie back under the stream of the shower to hastily wash the remaining suds out of his hair to prevent any more repeats. 

“You’re taking too long,” Eddie decisively told him, looking up under dark lashes- pupils nearly eclipsing his irises. 

“What do you-” Richie started but was startled into a stop by Eddie putting his hand his over his dick. He gasped and started to babble. “Oh, okay- that's good- please keep going.” 

He wasn’t even fully aware of what he was saying anymore; his thoughts a cycle of: 

_Eddie’s hand in on my dick. Eddie’s hand is on my dick. **Eddie’s hand is on my dick. **_

Richie was so caught off guard that he almost missed Eddie sliding his way down his body, kneeling before him and- 

“Oh, fuck!” Richie gasped as Eddie hesitantly put his lips around the tip of his dick, looking up at him too- the bastard. 

He had half a mind to tell Eddie he didn’t have to do this, but it was all lost in the absence of thoughts that came with- 

_Eddie’s lips on his cock. _

Richie moaned unabashed and sunk his hands greedily into Eddie’s hair. 

“Don’t stop. Don’t stop. _Oh, fuck,_ Eddie, please don’t stop,” he whined. Eddie hummed and took more of him in, casually but also a little clumsily- the slightest hint of teeth. 

Richie keened, throwing his head back- unable to look at Eddie’s lusty gaze without cumming on the spot. 

_“Please,_ I’m close,” he begged giving Eddie a warning and letting go of his hair so he could pull off. 

Eddie did so and now Richie would have to go through the rest of his life knowing the single most hottest thing he would witness was his cum gracing Eddie’s cheeks before it was washed away by the shower. 

“Jesus Christ, Eddie,” Richie panted, pawing at him to get up so he could kiss him and return the favor. 

He tried to reach out for Eddie’s cock but he stopped him sheepishly. 

“There’s no need,” he explained blushing up to the tips of his ears. “I was kinda doing that myself...” 

_“Fuuuuck,”_ Richie whined pulling him into a heated kiss. He was a little upset about missing that but couldn’t deny he found it very attractive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, they're boyfriends now! It's about time.
> 
> Anyways, I'm on quarantine right now so there might be chapters posted early since I'll have nothing else to do lmao. Hopefully everyone is staying safe out there! This shit is crazy and I'm grateful to be safe.


	36. Over-sized shirts and stirfry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie goes to class and Richie spills the beans to someone.

After they finally managed to finish cleaning themselves up, Eddie pulled on one of Richie’s more tamely patterned shirts and kissed him languidly before sadly pulling away. 

“I really need to get to class,” he explained and kissed Richie slowly again. “But I don’t want to.” 

Richie hummed and kissed him in response, “You should go.” 

His hands curled into his own shirt that hung loosely over Eddie. 

They exchanged kisses all the way to the door before Eddie finally pushed him away to put his shoes on. “I pay for these classes,” he sighed, kissing Richie one last time. 

“I’ll see you afterwards,” Richie offered as consolation. 

Eddie smiled and nodded, “Text me if you need help with... that again.” His eyes trailed pointedly down Richie’s torso, delighted in the resulting shudder from his gaze. 

Then he grabbed his bag and keys and went out the door, caring less and less about the probably fucked out nature of his hair curling over his ears. 

Thankfully he only managed to miss out on a little bit of the start of the lecture, so he could easily pick up where everyone was in the textbook. He flipped to the correlating pages and opened his notes before quietly as possible opening an emergency granola bar- thankful that he still had a few crumpled in the bottom of his bag. 

Eddie spent most of the class time dazed over his change in relationship status and the other half furiously writing notes to catch up. 

At the end of it, his wrist was cramping up horribly but at least he had coherent notes to look back on. 

He kept checking his phone just in case he missed the notification vibration; he didn’t though. 

Eddie had some free time and since he’d had to rush out the door earlier decided to treat himself to a cheap lunch off campus. He almost texted Richie to ask if he wanted to join him but figured he was busy and didn’t want to come off as overly needy. 

He sighed and ran his fingers through his loose curls, missing the hair gel that typically tamed it all back in one neat straight wave. Eddie pulled down the visor to examine his appearance in the small mirror and blanched when he realized that Richie’s hickey was on full display. 

Eddie hit his head back on the headrest and dragged his hands down his face. It was his fault for wanting to wear Richie’s over-sized shirt, but he still wanted to mentally assign the blame to Richie for not telling him about it before he’d left. 

There was still time to go home and change but he was sure that it wasn’t worth the gas money at this point in the day. 

So, he sighed, sucked it up, and adjusted the shirt collar tucking in it some more and covering it up the best he could on short notice. Once he was happy, he finally drove the short ways to pick up a nice sandwich before going back to campus and sitting in the common area- half hoping to run into one of his friends before his next class. 

Not that it really mattered when he had his last course with both Bill and Stan... 

Eddie paused and remembered that they would definitely recognize this as one of Richie’s shirts. 

He shook his head and smiled; it was going to come out eventually anyways. 

Meanwhile Richie was _flipping out._

A lot had happened over the past twenty-four hours and he was still coming to terms with the fact that he had **_a boyfriend!!_**

He was grinning like a mad man and need to vent to someone so he called up the one person he knew wouldn’t be tied up in classes at the moment: Beverly. 

Richie thanked the gods above that she only did college part-time with strictly evening classes and dialed the number, making himself at home on the couch. 

“Richie?” she answered in a yawn, the word slurring a bit. 

He grinned, “Sorry for waking you, Bev, but I need to talk to someone.” 

“What’s up?” Beverly answered, sounding a little more alert. 

“Eddie left wearing my shirt,” he blurted unable to keep the detail to himself for a moment longer. 

“Does that mean you won’t get all moony eyed when we practice love songs now?” she asked bemused. 

“Like you don’t get the same way,” Richie quipped. 

“Ben’s my boyfriend so I’m allowed.” 

“I’ve got great news then,” he said, throwing his head back gleefully onto the arm of the couch. 

“No way,” Beverly laughed over the phone. 

“I have a boyfriend,” Richie smiled, loving how the words settled over him like a warm blanket. He felt like he could burst he was so overjoyed. 

“It took you guys long enough,” she told him fondly. “I thought for sure something was going to happen after that little Shakira stunt.” 

He sighed and found himself nodding along, he had also really hoped that something would have happened then. Still he was content with how things turned out; glad he didn’t rush Eddie into another relationship. 

His heart squeezed pleasantly knowing how much Eddie trusted him. 

He really wanted to do something nice for him. 

Richie chatted with Beverly for the better part of an hour just gushing about Eddie and in return letting her gossip and talk about Ben. He still hadn’t wheedled out the story of how they’d gotten together, but he was holding out hope to get that one eventually. 

After he’d hung up there really wasn’t much time to get anything special prepared, but he could at least start making dinner for them. 

He couldn’t deny there was also the added perk of getting to pick what they’d be having. 

Richie could still feel the occasional pang from his overly depleted state, but it was much more manageable now. He wondered if Eddie would be willing to help him out again later and almost cut his finger when the knife slipped with his thoughts drifting away from him. 

He sighed setting the knife down and leaning against the counter so he could cover his dopey smile. Richie wasn’t sure when it happened but the shift in Eddie’s energy was addicting in the best way, warm comfort that sizzled enticingly under the surface but there were still moments where it came off syrupy sweet. 

His heart thudded comfortably and he took a few breathes to steady himself before continuing to chop vegetables for a simple stir fry. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to go back to doing casual summonings if Eddie ever decided he didn’t want him anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to post another chapter either later tonight or early tomorrow. For some reason I thought being home all day would make me more productive but mostly I've been staring at the wall and just vibing until I pass out. It's been an interesting experience and I definitely know which of my friends are extroverts now.
> 
> Hopefully everyone is staying safe and well!! Everyone is saying it but please do wash your hands and be mindful of others!


	37. NSFW: Dinner and...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Again mostly smut ngl

The front door closed with an audible click behind Eddie as he finally dropped his bag to the floor with no regard for his very expensive textbooks. He could smell the beginnings of something being fried over the stove and couldn’t deny the lurch of his heart. 

Eddie made his way to the kitchen, only to stop in the doorway. 

Richie must not have noticed him getting back, he had his back to him humming happily under his breath and unabashedly making up his own little dance to go with it. 

He felt a little choked up over how disgustingly in love with him he was and had to go over there and wrap his arms around Richie’s waist resting his head in the space between his shoulder blades because he wasn’t tall enough to put his head on his shoulder. 

“Hello, _boyfriend,”_ Richie purred, putting his free hand over top of Eddie’s. 

“What are you cooking?” Eddie asked, grinning at the emphasized endearment. It was so gratifying to hear. 

“I’m making chicken stir fry,” he said, looking down when Eddie’s head peeked around to examine his handy work. “How was class?” 

Eddie groaned and gave him a soft glare, “Someone gave me a couple hickeys and then let me leave in an over-sized shirt. 

“Oh no... who would do that?” he asked innocently. 

“Needless to say, I’m sure all our friends know about this now,” Eddie gestured between them meaningfully. 

“Is that such a bad thing?” Richie asked unsure. 

“Well, no,” Eddie sighed. “I just wished it wasn’t because of some marks.” 

Really, he was glad they wouldn’t need to outright tell everyone, but it was too embarrassing knowing he had to face them again tomorrow on campus and keep a straight face. 

He gave a valiant effort to keeping all the bites hidden away but there wasn’t anything he could do about them being on display when he absentmindedly leaned over to pull something out of his bag, letting the collar of the button up slip. Eddie was just glad they didn't outright say anything about it, keeping it to smug looks and hushed whispers between each other.

“I guess I should tell you that I told Bev, so if it’s any consolation they all would have known anyways?” 

Eddie hummed and ran his hand over Richie’s stomach, almost teasingly in nature. 

“Next time warn me about marks,” he said a little entranced by Richie’s culinary skills. 

“I really didn’t mean to let that happen,” Richie admitted. “We were both a little distracted this morning.” 

Eddie sighed and leaned up to kiss his jawline causing a noticeable shudder through Richie’s body. 

He chewed the inside of his cheek nervously as he thought about his next move. 

“How...” Eddie trailed off, moving his hand to rest over Richie’s heart. “How are you feeling?” he asked, hoping it came off casual. 

“What do you mean?” Richie looked at him, his nose scrunched cutely in confusion. 

His fingers twitched as he tried to find the right words, “Are you still...?” Eddie frowned unsure how to phrase it properly without it coming off weirdly. 

Richie seemed to catch on well enough though, his cheeks tinting as he pointedly stared into his stir fry- stirring it more vigorously than necessary. “Ah, _that.”_

“Yeah,” Eddie breathed, resting his palm flat to feel his pulse fluttering. He wet his lips and decided to just say what was on his mind. “Can we... do something again?” 

Richie stiffened and then shoved the pan off the hot burner, turning to Eddie with wide eyes. “Do you want to?” 

Eddie lost his words and nodded shyly, a little startled by how much he wanted to do more. 

“What... what do you want?” Richie asked, putting his hands on the counter top behind Eddie, caging him in. 

“I...” he looked up at him, caught off by how beautiful Richie looked in his crappy kitchen stove light. Eddie swallowed thickly. 

“I want to make love to you,” the words fell out before he could think about it. 

He has no idea what he’s doing but he knows that there’s no one he would trust more to walk him through this. 

Richie’s breath hitched and he nodded, pupils dilating. He leaned in slowly, kissing him sweetly- sucking his bottom lip in before pulling away with a gentle nip. 

Eddie tried to chase after him, but Richie puts a hand on his chest. 

“We should eat first,” he smiled. 

“You just don’t want your work to go to waste,” Eddie accused pouting. 

Richie shrugged coyly and pulled the pan back onto the heat to finish cooking, “Perhaps.” 

Eddie sighed and wrapped his arms around Richie’s waist, secretly relieved. 

For all his bravado earlier, he really was nervous about how everything would work. He had a lot of curiosities but wasn’t ready to actually go after them yet; he hoped that Richie would be patient enough to wait for him to ask. 

In the meantime, he would take whatever Richie had to offer him. 

Dinner passed in a blur to Eddie, anticipation and nerves weighing heavy and warm- the tension thick between them. Even the conversations had slowed, both of them rather silent- watching each other and waiting for the pin to drop. 

He appreciated Richie’s cooking, it was strangely light despite it being something that Eddie normally regarded as a comfort style food. Richie was unfairly good at cooking things that he wasn’t even sure where to start with; most of his experience was learned from others and his actual repertoire of recipes was limited. 

Richie’s foot bumped against his and Eddie exhaled shakily, swallowing the last of his dinner. 

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Richie asked as he scrapped the last of his stir fry. 

Eddie nodded quite sure of himself, “Can we take it slow?” 

“Of course,” Richie smiled comfortingly, gathering the plates to deposit in the kitchen. 

He wasn’t even sure why he was so nervous; he trusted Richie completely. They’d already seen each other naked and Eddie couldn’t lie and say he wasn’t looking forward to _that_ again. 

This time there just so happened to be a current of the unknown. Richie was an incubus and Eddie wasn’t confident he’d be able to measure up to whatever standards he had. 

“-Eddie?” Richie jostled his gently, his hand on his shoulder. 

“Huh?” he blinked owlishly and looked up at him. “Sorry I missed that, what did you say?” 

He smiled soft, so soft and kissed his forehead, “We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” 

Eddie chewed his lip and grumpily hugged Richie, resting his head against his chest. “I do want to, I just...” 

Richie rubbed his back. 

“What if I disappoint you?” 

His hand stopped and he guided Eddie’s head back to look at him. He was still giving him that soft look that was making his heart flutter. “I doubt that; but even so we’d just have to practice more until it’s perfect, wouldn't we?” he winked cheekily. 

Eddie sputtered and slapped his arm, dropping his head back to his chest. He was smiling though. 

“So...?” Richie prompted after a while. 

Eddie looked up and just stared for a moment, taking him in- tousled hair, blown out pupils, light flush, freckles. 

He leaned up and kissed him, blindly leading them through the apartment. 

To his credit, they only bumped into a few things and no one got severely bruised on a table. 

“Eds,” Richie panted as his back collided with the bedroom door. 

Eddie swallowed and gave him some space, which only made him whine and shake his head stubbornly pulling him closer. 

“Eddie, I,” he couldn’t seem to find the words and grunted, leaning to press his lips against his neck to collect himself. 

Eddie steadied himself with his hands on the door when Richie nipped and kissed at his throat. “Richie.” 

“Fuck, Eds,” he murmured pulling back to kiss him. “I love you.” 

Eddie’s breath caught. He wasn’t expecting that but couldn’t properly kiss Richie anymore because of his grin. 

“I love you too,” the words came easily, endorphins rushing through his system. 

“Eddie.” 

Richie blindly grabbed the doorknob and the door gave way easily, knocking Eddie off balance onto him. 

They were falling into the bed before Eddie can fully process what was happening, kissing- soft and sweet this time, more love and less desperation. His head is spinning and he’s breathless; Richie’s taking all his air away but filling his heart with all these warm feelings. 

He can’t get enough- not of his lips, his touch, the little gasping breaths between kisses. His hands are tangled in his hair, pulling against horns, trailing over his shoulders. Richie’s own hands are rucking up his shirt, sliding over his stomach and ghosting over his nipples- greedier and greedier as the moment drags on. (Not that Eddie’s complaining.) 

A low groan dragged its way out of Eddie’s throat and his hands were fumbling to get Richie’s shirt off. 

He needed more. More contact, more breath, more of Richie. 

“Eddie,” Richie said against his lips. 

Eddie kissed him silent again, whining and still shoving his shirt up in the worst attempt at removing it. 

He has to pull away to tug it over his head; he followed it by tossing his own shirt off. Eddie sighed at the feeling of skin against skin, he’s straddling Richie’s lap and running his hands relevantly over the planes of his torso. 

“I love you,” Eddie said softly, just because he could. He doesn’t want to stop but also has no idea what the fuck he’s doing. 

Sure, he knows the gist but that doesn’t mean he knows _how_ to actually do this. 

Richie was looking at him- glazed over half-lidded eyes, puffy red lips- a near complete picture of debauchery. Not only that but he didn’t seem in any sort of rush, as if he had everything he wanted and would be completely okay just stopping here. 

He copied Richie’s earlier move, leaving small little marks on his neck before he continued his path down. Eddie paid some special attention to his nipples and finally finished by popping the button of his jeans, teasingly palming against his erection. 

When he looked up, Richie was biting his lip. His hands are in Eddie’s hair by this point, not pulling- just resting there, waiting. There was an arousal in his eyes that had Eddie’s mouth drying, he doesn’t bother trying to keep his whimper in. 

He tugged at Richie’s pants questioningly, delighted when he lifted his hips in response. Eddie smiled and pulled the rest of his clothes off eagerly. He ran his hand over the length, trying to repress the growing uncertainty that was edging its way back. 

Richie bucked against him weakly, pulling him back up into a kiss- escalating and licking his way into his mouth. 

Eddie already felt so far gone and he’s still wearing his goddamn pants. 

Richie seemed to pick up on this, his hands palming over his ass briefly before he’s struggling with the zipper and shoving them down Eddie’s thighs. He barely has time to shake them off his legs before Richie’s pulling him further up the bed, laying back against the pillows. 

Oh fuck; that’s gorgeous. 

“How do you want to do this?” he asked, hands wandering over Eddie’s arms- making it very hard to concentrate. 

Eddie licked his lips and shrugged uncertainly, “I have no idea.” 

Richie huffed a little laugh and smiled as warm now as when they’d started, “Do you have everything?” 

“Yeah,” he answered nervously, leaning over to pull some lube and a condom from his side table. Eddie was nothing if not prepared, although he wasn’t really sure he’d be needing this stuff until... well Richie. 

Richie hummed approvingly and took the lube from him. “I have an idea,” he grinned toothily, every bit as enticing as always. His hand ran over Eddie’s back, causing him to shudder. “I want you to fuck me,” he whispered against Eddie’s ear hotly. “Is that okay?” 

Eddie’s pretty sure his brain short circuited somewhere along the way but he’s nodding. “Yes, _please.”_

Richie pulled him flush against him, their cocks brush just so and Eddie’s preening against him, giving him access to his neck again. His tail is curled around his thigh in a way that has his head spinning. 

He almost doesn’t hear the click of the cap over the blood rushing in his ears. Richie took his hand then, pouring a liberal amount of lube onto his fingers. 

Eddie was still feeling a little hazy and almost forgot what was happening, what was promised to come. He swallowed and with great effort managed to find his way back down Richie, absently working the lube over his fingers- warming it. 

Hesitantly he glanced up at Richie, who nodded encouragingly and spread his legs wider. That’s a picture, Eddie hoped he’d never forget. He kissed Richie’s thigh and carefully pressed a finger into Richie, who gives in and takes it with a practiced ease. Eddie was being very tender and slow about it, something that drove Richie up the wall with equal parts love and frustration. 

“You don’t have to be so careful,” he guided, trying not to huff. “I’m not going to break, and I’ll tell you if it’s too much.” 

Eddie was still unsure, but he added a second finger without much thought. He twisted and curled them just so, drawing out all sorts of lewd sounds. Just when he thought that he might really have died... 

_“Eddie,”_ Richie cried sharply when his fingers cricked just so. “More, please.” 

_**Fuck.**_

He was powerless to deny a request like that and added one more finger, aiming to get that spot every time. 

Richie twisted, gripping at the blanket, the pillows, Eddie’s shoulder, anything he could get his hands on. “Ah, fuck! That’s nice-_really nice_-but not what I meant,” he managed to get out between moans. 

Eddie’s breath left in a sharp exhale as understanding dawned on him. 

Oh _fuck._

He shakily took his fingers out, ignoring how Richie whined and somehow got the condom on despite not being able to keep his hands steady. Eddie’s hand ran up Richie’s thigh and he relished kissing him, slow and sensual as he poured some more lube onto his cock. 

A breath shared between them and then he was pushing in- slow, gentle, drawing out a low moan from them both. 

“Richie,” Eddie gasped, a little overwhelmed. His arms quivered under the weight of all the sensations and he gave in panting against Richie’s chest. 

“Mm,” Richie hummed patiently, running his hands through his hair coaxing him back into the moment. 

He kissed his pec sweetly before finally, finally, giving a little thrust- experimenting with the feeling. 

Richie mewled and wrapped his legs over his hips, encouraging him to continue. 

It wasn’t long after that before Eddie was giving into the chemistry and heat between them, setting a moderate pace; trying to find that place from earlier. He adjusted his angle and then had Richie shaking under him, making all these strangled heated noises- trying to keep quiet to some degree. 

Richie’s hands scrabbled to grip his shoulders while Eddie picked up the pace. 

“Eddie,” he moaned, nails digging into his shoulder deliciously. “Ah, _fuck,_ it’s so good; ah, _**please!”**_

_ _He wasn’t even sure what Richie was asking for but that didn’t stop him from trying to give him it anyways. Eddie trailed his hand up his side lovingly as he could with his other hand still gripping his hip and thrusting into him. He brushed his thumb over his nipple and Richie _keened_\- head thrown back, mouth open in a silent wrecked moan. _ _

_ _Eddie wasn’t going to last long, not with Richie doing that, feeling like that, looking at him like _that._ He was considering himself lucky that he hadn’t cum in his pants earlier- and then Richie’s pulling him into a sloppy kiss that’s more teeth than anything, not only that but he had tail curled possessively around his leg again. _ _

_ _He whined and gripped Richie’s erection, pumping him in time with his thrusts. Eddie caught the precum and used it to slick him up and further his cause. He was so close and he’d be damned if wasn’t going to bring Richie down with him. _ _

_“Oh god!”_ Richie gasped. _“Eddie, I-”_ He can’t seem to get out the rest of his words, not under Eddie’s ministrations. 

Not that he’s in a much better state, reduced to a broken record of moans, gasps, and _‘Richie!’_

_ _His orgasm catches him off guard, overwhelming and blinding. He can only just manage to keep himself up right and jerking Richie off enthusiastically. _ _

_“Eddie!”_ Richie cried out as he came, cum coating the two of them as Eddie practically drops dead on top of him. 

_ _He rolled over weakly, still catching his breath, and slipped out of Richie. Eddie smiles shyly at him and brushed his hand against Richie’s flushed cheek. _ _

_ _Richie laughed breathlessly and pulled him into another kiss._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so basically the next chapter is going to be the one I consider the "ending chapter" that wraps up some loose ends and then there's going to be one more bonus smutty chapter.  
I think I'll just upload daily until this is all done so yeah... Thanks for sticking around for all this lol. You guys are great!


	38. Pillow fights and pancakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone finally gets to know what's up (and there's a sleep over).

They’re lounging on the couch, lazily tangled up when Richie decided to bring it up. 

“I should probably tell Benverly about this right?” he motioned to his horns and such aimlessly. 

Eddie hummed and smoothed Richie’s crumpled shirt idly, “I thought you already had?” Honestly, he’s a little impressed that he somehow managed to keep a secret like that for so long- especially since all their other friends already knew about it. 

“It hasn’t come up,” he shrugged as if that had stopped him any other time. 

Eddie smiled fondly and kissed his cheek. “It’s our turn to host movie night, should be easy enough to tell them then right?” 

Richie hummed and nodded, “Probably shouldn’t keep it much longer.” 

“I’ll tell them to bring their stuff and come over tonight if you want?” Eddie offered. “Or is that too soon?” 

He turned his head into Eddie’s chest and shook his head, words slurred a bit by it, “Nah, tell ‘em to come over.” 

“Okay,” Eddie said, running his fingers through Richie’s hair occasionally brushing against the horns. Without them, he wasn’t even sure he would have ever believed Richie about being an incubus- even with the fact that he summoned him in the first place. 

Although he said he’d call everyone and let them know about what was going on, they ended up dozing on the couch for a few hours longer. It had been well past noon by the time he called but thankfully their found friend group usually tended to invite everyone if they had special plans outside of their norm. 

Richie talked Eddie down from deep cleaning everything and he was a little embarrassed about how easy Richie seemed to be able to do that. He was so used to it being the opposite way, people insisting that he wipe down every surface and keep tidy. Eddie actually sort of liked that about Richie; he rounded him out. 

“I really don’t want to sleep on the floor,” Richie sighed; they found themselves back on the couch- not laying down so they couldn’t fall back into sleep so easily again. 

“We could take the couch,” Eddie said lazily turning to face Richie. 

“Should we though?” Richie asked. “The apartment is already small enough without everyone spread out on the floor.” 

He hummed and couldn’t counter that point; it was one of the main reasons they’d put off inviting everyone over in the first place. 

“I guess we don’t have to all sleep here?” Ben and Beverly hadn’t slept out in their living room when friends-giving was taking place, it wasn’t unreasonable. 

“Are you inviting me to bed?” Richie teased, somehow managing to make it sound completely serious at the same time. 

Eddie rolled his eyes, “You already sleep in my bed with me most nights anyways.” 

Richie’s grin widened. 

“No funny business though,” Eddie said firmly. 

Richie pouted, “Not even a little?” 

Eddie tried to hold a glare but couldn’t help breaking into a soft smile of his own, “Above the belt only and no one can know.” 

“I can work with that,” he whispered, getting closer- his words brushing Eddie’s cheeks. 

“Hm,” he hummed closing the distance between them, kissing his boyfriend gently. 

Richie pulled away and rested his forehead against Eddie’s. “Have I told you what your energy feels like to me?” he asked slightly dazed. 

“Not yet,” Eddie answered back curiously. It hadn’t occurred to him that that would even have a feeling. But it made sense that as an incubus he would get _something_ out of it. 

He brought his hand up to cradle Eddie’s cheek, “It’s... warm and comforting, sort of like sitting by a fire during a snowstorm.” Richie’s eyes closed while he looked for the right words, “Sometimes it’s so strong that it overwhelms me and is almost on the wrong side of too much.” 

“Oh,” Eddie said because there really wasn’t much else he could say. He wasn’t sure if he should be flattered by that last part. “Should I tone it back?” 

Was there even a way to do that...? 

He shook his head, “I like it.” Richie pecked the corner of his lip, “It’s not like the stuff I’m used to.” 

Eddie hummed curious but didn't wanting to pry further; he pulled him forward with the hand that had comfortably found its way looped over Richie’s neck. 

Just when Richie had started to nip at his lips, someone just had to interrupt the moment and knock on the door. 

Eddie sighed audibly at the loss of Richie when he pulled away to look at the clock. 

“We might have company?” he shrugged when he noticed Eddie pouting at him. 

“Shouldn’t have given them the apartment number,” Eddie complained emptily, pulling himself off of the couch and lazily stretching. 

Whoever was at the door was knocking again so he picked up the pace, smoothing his hair down before he opened the door. 

“Oh hey guys, you’re early,” he smiled at Stan, Bill, and not surprisingly Mike. (At some point they’d all gotten quite close to the point that Eddie wasn’t usually the one asked to drive them around anymore. Eddie wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.) 

“You know I don’t like to be late,” Stan quipped, skirting around Eddie and letting himself into the apartment with familiar ease. 

Eddie shrugged and ushered the others in. 

“So, what’s going on?” Bill asked looking at Eddie curiously. 

“That’s mine to share, actually,” Richie called cheerfully, flopped over the back of the couch to watch them. 

“Okay, what’s new?” Mike asked amused. 

“Just this,” Richie pointed to his horns, which he hadn’t even bothered hiding anymore. “Can’t have secrets in the friend group right?” 

Stan hummed thoughtfully and nodded along, “I guess that’s reasonable enough.” 

“I don’t envy Ben and Beverly tonight,” Bill laughed reminiscing on when they’d first gotten to know Richie’s secret. 

“Amen,” Mike made himself at home next to Richie. “Almost had a heart attack when I first learned.” 

“Imagine how I felt,” Eddie complained coming to stand at the back of the couch. “I didn’t have anyone to convince me it wasn’t an elaborate hoax.” 

“And yet, there you are,” Stan said pointedly, motioning to the easy way that Richie had laced their fingers together. “How did that even happen?” 

“I’m a master at seduction,” Richie winked. 

“I kissed him under the bleachers,” Eddie deadpanned; although technically he hadn’t been the one to make the first move. Or maybe he had; he wasn’t sure when to consider the start of flirting. 

“...Wait, you mean the game I invited you guys to in November?” Mike inquired. 

“We’ve been to other games than that!” Eddie squawked as Richie cut in with a firm ‘yes.’ 

Mike looked at them thoughtfully and nodded, “That makes sense.” 

“...What do you mean?” Eddie asked a little embarrassed. 

“You stopped complaining about your pining to us after that,” Stan quipped. “There was also _the shirt incident.”_

“Oh right, actually can we not talk about this?” Eddie wasn't ready to explain that one.

“Absolutely not! You pined after me?” Richie asked gleefully, looking up at Eddie like he hung the moon. “That’s so _cute!”_

Just as Eddie was about to stumble his way through an excuse or an explanation, more knocks sounded at the door. 

“Thank god,” he mumbled and made his escape from the room, ignoring how his heart fluttered and how the tips of his ears burned. “I’ll get it.” 

Eddie gave one last meaningful glance back at them before slowly opening the door; giving Richie time to hide or compose himself. He wasn’t sure how Richie planned to go about telling them but given past experiences he doubted it’d be subtle. 

“Hey guys,” he greeted calmly, pretending that his face wasn’t still red. 

Beverly raised her brow looking at him quite amused, holding a couple pillows in her arms. At least some of them listened to bring their own bedding. “What’s going on?” she asked curiously. 

“N-not much,” he lied, moving to the side to let them in. 

Ben also had some snacks in his arms, so Eddie took this as an excuse to avoid going back to the living room for an extra second. He was horribly embarrassed to be caught so blatantly about his pining- that was supposed to stay a secret between them and god. 

“What the fuck, Richie!” he heard Beverly yelp, followed up by a muted thud. 

“Oh shit,” Eddie cringed; it sounded like he decided to break the news. 

Ben had paused in the doorway, so he had to peer around him to see what was happening. 

Richie was holding Beverly’s pillow in front of his face but at least she didn’t seem that angry. 

“I can’t believe you kept this from me,” she actually seemed more upset about it than anything. A moment of pause and then she wacked him with the pillow she was still holding; Richie making a valiant effort to fend it off with his own pillow. 

“What’s going on?” Ben asked Eddie softly, finally turning away when he deemed that no one was actually getting hurt. 

“Richie’s an incubus,” Eddie said casually; because if Richie was allowed to just drop stuff like that then Eddie was going to treat it with the same level of decorum. 

“Oh. Okay,” he nodded not fully processing what Eddie told him. Ben stiffened up right after and turned more fully towards him, “Wait _what?”_

“He’s not exactly human,” he shrugged trying to figure out how Richie managed to do this so casually. He felt like he was going to buzz out of his skin with Ben’s incredulous stare. Eddie couldn’t even fault him for it because he knew how bizarre it was. “Look closer; he’s got horns and a tail.” 

Ben hummed and quietly followed Eddie’s directions. 

“Hey, Eddie?” he asked after a moment. “Are you okay?” 

“With Richie?” 

“Yeah,” Ben nodded, looking at Eddie with such a brimming concern that it warmed his heart. 

Eddie smiled, “I love him.” 

“Oh,” he looked surprised. “So, everything’s okay?” 

“Yeah,” he pat Ben on the back. “Everything’s been more than okay.” 

Or at least it was until someone’s hand slipped on their pillow and it managed to hit both Ben and Eddie. 

He blinked and looked at the fallen pillow for a second. 

Oh, it was _on_ now. 

Eddie picked up the pillow and chucked it back into the living room blindly. Then he grabbed Ben’s arm and lead him to his room to grab more pillows. 

He’d never done this before; not with more people than just Bill when they were younger, but he’d be damned if he wasn’t about to have a pillow fight right now. 

Okay, so maybe... he was still a little salty to be called out for his pining because he definitely aimed his first couple throws at Stan and Bill. Both of which squawked indignantly but took to the war in stride; turning to lightly wack Mike. 

Things only got a little out of hand when Richie tried to defend Eddie from Ben’s pillow- because he decided to turn on him like a _traitor_ at the last minute when he swung at Beverly to avenge Richie for what happen to start this war. Richie somehow managed to tear the pillow open, absolutely littering the room with feathers, which were largely ignored until Stan slipped and they all decided to call a truce. 

Eddie was devastated that the apartment got so wrecked the first time they'd been hosting everyone. Honestly he was also a little happy about it. No one was judging the mess (although he saw Stan subtly gathering the feathers into a pile), so for now he was content to just leave it be. It was a problem for tomorrow. 

He sighed and slumped onto Richie, snagging a blanket from Beverly’s lap. They’d all settled into watching movies again, but Eddie wasn’t really paying enough attention to it to know what it was aside from a Marvel movie. 

Even though Richie had insisted on sitting on the floor this time, he wasn’t all that uncomfortable- but that was probably because he’d mostly draped himself onto Richie’s lap as the time progressed. 

It was pretty late when they’d finally agreed that Eddie was going to pass out any minute and Richie didn’t want to have to figure out how to carry him to bed. He was adamant about not letting him sleep on the floor. Eddie was touched by the sentiment and sleepily followed Richie to bed, curling into his side as soon as he crawled in next to him. 

“Goodnight, Rich, I love you,” he whispered softly, closing his eyes as he let sleep wash over him, his heart warm and content. 

“Sleep well, Eds, I love you too,” Richie echoed back not so sleep raspy. 

When Eddie woke up, he was alone in the bed. 

His heart lurched at the realization but he knew he was probably being paranoid about it. He trusted Richie would either come back or tell him if he thought things weren’t working out quite right. Eddie sighed and dragged himself out of bed, exhausted from going to sleep at such a late hour. 

He checked the time and cringed when the numbers showed that it was half past noon. 

Eddie quietly used the bathroom to go through at least the quick parts of his morning routine, leaving off brushing his teeth until he’d eaten something. He could hear some of his friend’s talking in the other rooms and was happy to have the company around; it made everything much more complete. 

He found Richie talking softly with Stan in the kitchen, while he was idly flipping pancakes. Eddie paused and listened in for a little bit. 

“Do you really think it isn’t too late to enroll?” Richie asked, glancing over at Stan. 

Stan nodded, “I don’t see why not, you could always wait until fall if you wanted.” 

He hummed and seemed to consider the options. “Are you going to be able to handle me going to the same campus?” 

“Better question is: are _you_ going to be able to get anything done knowing Eddie’s around?” 

Richie chuckled and elbowed Stan’s in retaliation, “Shut up; he’s going to be the one to keep me focused on graduating.” 

Eddie froze up a bit as it dawned fully on him what they were discussing. His heart swelled and he grinned secretly to himself; at least now he wouldn’t have to awkwardly broach the topic himself. Eddie made sure to take a little more care to make his presence known when he stepped into the room. “Hey guys,” he greeted casually. 

After a moment’s consideration he walked over to Richie’s side leaning against him, “I missed you this morning.” 

“It’s noon,” Richie cheekily corrected, kissing his forehead. “But I’m not planning on going anywhere anytime soon.” 

Eddie smiled and let himself enjoy basking in the warm feeling that had settled over him; allowing himself to plan a future where he was happy above all else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So originally this was going to be the last chapter; I felt like it wrapped up all the threads I was worried about while also keeping it open enough for a potential sequel someday. (Definitely not soon though lol.)  
However I couldn't help myself so there will be one more spicy chapter as a bonus. That being said thanks for sticking around to the end; I couldn't have asked for a better time for my first finished fic. :')


	39. Bonus NSFW

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, this is just pure smut lmao

Eddie can’t help but wonder if Richie can sense the anticipation in the air. They’d just gotten the news yesterday that Richie was accepted into his college and he had special plans for this evening. He could barely manage to contain himself through a light dinner.

Embarrassingly enough, he’d done his research to make sure he wouldn’t hurt himself. Tonight he wanted Richie and he was fairly sure that Richie wasn’t going to have any objections on the matter. (At least he hoped so.)

“Hey, Eds Love, is anything wrong?” Richie asked softly, resting his hand over his thigh as they sat on the couch. The tv was pretty much just background noise at this point. 

“Yeah,” he swallowed thickly; the gentle pet names had quickly come to be one of his favorite things-even if he did enjoy to protest them. “I was just wondering if you wanted to do... something tonight?” Eddie finished awkwardly, too flustered to just ask Richie to have sex with him. 

“A sexy something?” Richie asked smirking, eyebrow raised in a way that showed he already had the gist of what Eddie was getting at. 

“Mhm,” he nodded wanting to cover his face but forcing himself not to. “I wanted to try something different this time.” 

“Oh?” he looked intrigued and quite excited given that his hand had trailed up Eddie’s thigh, getting dangerously close to his dick. 

“I... I want to be on bottom this time,” he said quietly, keeping eye contact with Richie. 

“Yes,” Richie said immediately afterwards, eyes wide. “I mean, if you’re sure.” 

Eddie smiled and nodded, crawling into his lap. Richie’s hand trailed up to rest on his hip comfortably. He leaned in and kissed below Richie’s earlobe teasingly, “I’ve already started preparing myself.” 

As embarrassed as he was to admit it, the noise that Richie made in response made it well worth it. 

“Fuck, Eds, you can’t just say things like that,” he whispered, voice already thick with lust. 

“Why not?” he challenged, pulling back to stare heavily into his eyes. 

Richie’s chest rumbled and he dragged Eddie into a heated kiss. He nipped at his lip and Eddie moaned leaning further into his touch, delighted when Richie’s hands wondered up his shirt trailing teasingly over his skin. 

He whined and pulled away from the kiss, biting his jawline, “Stop being a tease.” 

Richie chuckled and pulled Eddie’s shirt off, “Should we move to the bedroom then?” 

Eddie grinned excitedly and with one last heated kiss got up and pulled Richie with him, struggling to undo his shirt buttons as they went. 

They’d gotten much smoother at undressing each other but Eddie still stumbled a bit jumping out of his jeans as he tumbled back onto his bed. 

Richie hummed appreciatively, taking in Eddie’s nude form while he did the same to him. He licked his lips impatiently when he saw Richie’s already hard cock leaking a bit. 

One of the first things he’d done after making sure he was cleaned up was stretch himself out as much as he could with his fingers. This was not an easy feat considering they lived together and he didn’t want to spoil the surprise, so he was quite proud of being able to do as much as he could-even if he had to stop before he wanted to. 

Richie’s hands trailed up his legs, parting them as he went. “Gorgeous,” he said reverently, following his hands with kisses that had Eddie breathing heavy. 

“Please, Richie,” Eddie moaned letting his legs fall open even more. “I need you.” 

Richie didn’t need more prompting than that, reaching over to grab the bottle of lube Eddie left open on the side table. He gazed at it curiously for a while as the pieces clicked together. “Is this why you sent me to the store for more milk earlier?” 

Eddie shrugged and chose not to confirm that detail. 

But he totally did. They weren’t even out of milk either, but he hadn’t thought to check on that before sending him off. 

So now they had more milk than they needed, and Eddie desperately just wanted Richie to get on with it; already impatient from his earlier ministrations. 

Richie’s first finger slid in easily and Eddie gasped a bit arching into it. His fingers were much longer than his and could sink in much farther. 

_“More,”_ he begged. 

“Fuck,” Richie mumbled emotionally, adding in two extra fingers. 

Eddie gripped the comforter and closed his eyes, enjoying the slight burn that came with them. 

“You’re so beautiful,” he praised. “Much too good for me.” Richie slowly started to move his fingers, scissoring out and searching for just the right spot. 

_“Richie!”_ Eddie gasped when he found it, his back bowing and eyes glazing over. It was so good and he was a little mad that he hadn’t thought to do this with Richie sooner. 

Richie leaned down and kissed him, his fingers still doing lewd things to his body that had Eddie writhing and gripping at anything he could get his hands on. 

God he wanted more. 

“Ah,” he panted between kisses, turning his head away from Richie so he could properly voice his wants. Richie took it in stride kissing and biting his jaw in a deliciously distracting way. “Please, _Richie-”_

He didn’t even finish before Richie tilted his head, kissing him deeply- the sound of torn foil ringing louder in the moment as he pulled his fingers away from Eddie, eliciting a needy whine. 

Richie moved back, brushing his clean hand against Eddie’s cheek. “Are you ready?” 

Eddie rolled his eyes and pushed his hips back against Richie’s cock. “Please just fuck me already,” he said grinning salaciously. 

Richie smiled much too fondly and carefully let himself push in, taking it much slower than necessary given how much preparation Eddie had put in. 

He threw his head back, taking in big gulps of air regardless. It was much better than he had expected, leaving him feeling just on the edge of too full when Richie finally bottomed out. 

“Doing okay?” Richie asked sounding strained. 

Eddie opened his eyes, drinking in the fucked-out look already in Richie’s eyes and nodded. He gingerly moved his hips and groaned at the sensation. “Move _please.”_

Richie didn’t need any more encouragement than that- starting off gentle with short shallow thrusts before building up speed and power when Eddie asked. 

_“Fuck,_ Eddie, you don’t know what you do to me,” Richie panted, pushing Eddie’s legs up for more leverage. 

Eddie moaned throatily unable to take his eyes off Richie. 

“I-_oh fuck_-I love you so much,” he continued, driving home on Eddie’s prostate nearly every time, dragging all sorts of wrecked noises out of him. Eddie wasn’t sure he’d be able to say anything coherent even if he could get any full words out right now. “You’re so good,” Richie babbled, dipping his sweaty forehead into Eddie’s neck and littering his collarbones with kisses. 

_“Richie-”_ he preened feeling himself getting closer. 

Richie hummed and grabbed his neglected cock, pumping in time with his thrusts. His tail swished over one of his ankles, wrapping around it familiarly. “Don’t hold back,” he commanded, sounding equally as gone as Eddie felt. 

Eddie gasped and the look in Richie’s eyes did him in as he came all over his chest and Richie’s hand. 

Richie made a chocked off keening noise and finished up with him, fucking him the rest of the way through his orgasm until Eddie was pushing him back from over-stimulation. He collapsed next to him on the bed, looking quite self-satisfied. 

Eddie sighed contently, curling into his side despite the mess. “I love you,” he mumbled sleepily. 

“I love you too,” Richie echoed back as he dozed off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it for now! I'm going to take a bit of a cool off from IT for a while so I don't burn myself out of it.   
That being said thanks for sticking around for the entirety of this; it's been quite the trip for me and I can't believe how lengthy it ended up.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first published fic in years; feedback appreciated! :)  



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